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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2024-0841

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.4.271 / 5.10.212 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A null pointer dereference flaw was found in the hugetlbfs_fill_super function in the Linux kernel hugetlbfs (HugeTLB pages) functionality. This issue may allow a local user to crash the system or potentially escalate their privileges on the system.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

A null pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the hugetlbfs_fill_super function in the Linux kernel's HugeTLB pages (hugetlbfs) implementation. This flaw can be exploited by a local authenticated user to crash the system (denial of service) or potentially achieve privilege escalation by triggering the null pointer dereference.

MitigationApply the corresponding Linux kernel security patch to address the null pointer dereference in hugetlbfs_fill_super, followed by a system reboot to load the patched kernel. Consider kernel version compatibility testing in non-production environments prior to deployment.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 5.1, < 5.4.271>= 5.5, < 5.10.212>= 5.11, < 5.15.151>= 5.16, < 6.1.79>= 6.2, < 6.6.18>= 6.7, < 6.7.6
Enterprise LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 8.0= 9.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' to obtain the running kernel version
    Affected if The kernel version falls within any of these ranges: >= 5.1 and < 5.4.271; >= 5.5 and < 5.10.212; >= 5.11 and < 5.15.151; >= 5.16 and < 6.1.79; >= 6.2 and < 6.6.18; >= 6.7 and < 6.7.6
  2. Verify hugetlbfs is available in the kernel
    Check the kernel configuration file: 'cat /boot/config-$(uname -r) | grep CONFIG_HUGETLBFS' - look for CONFIG_HUGETLBFS=y
    Affected if CONFIG_HUGETLBFS is set to 'y' (enabled) in the kernel configuration
  3. Check if hugetlbfs is mounted or usable
    Run 'mount | grep hugetlbfs' or 'cat /proc/filesystems | grep hugetlbfs' to see if hugetlbfs is registered as a supported filesystem
    Affected if hugetlbfs appears in /proc/filesystems or is actively mounted
  4. Verify huge pages are configured
    Check /proc/sys/vm/nr_hugepages to see if any huge pages are allocated: 'cat /proc/sys/vm/nr_hugepages'
    Affected if nr_hugepages is greater than 0, indicating huge pages are in use

The system is affected if the kernel version is within the vulnerable ranges AND hugetlbfs is enabled and available on the system.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.4.271 / 5.10.212 / 5.15.151 or later
Fixed in 5.4.2715.10.2125.15.151
Interim mitigation

Apply the corresponding Linux kernel security patch to address the null pointer dereference in hugetlbfs_fill_super, followed by a system reboot to load the patched kernel. Consider kernel version compatibility testing in non-production environments prior to deployment.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to kernel version 5.4.271 (for 5.4.x branch), 5.10.212 (for 5.10.x branch), 5.15.151 (for 5.15.x branch), or 6.1.79 (for 6.1.x branch) or later

  1. Back up current system data and verify you have a known-good kernel to fall back to
  2. For RHEL 8.0: Run 'dnf update kernel' or 'yum update kernel' to apply the latest kernel security fix
  3. For RHEL 9.0: Run 'dnf update kernel' or 'yum update kernel' to apply the latest kernel security fix
  4. For upstream Linux: Upgrade kernel to version 5.4.271, 5.10.212, 5.15.151, or 6.1.79 or later
  5. Reboot the system to load the updated kernel
  6. Verify the fix is applied by checking 'uname -r' and confirming the version is >= the fixed version for your branch
  7. Confirm the hugetlbfs module loads correctly with 'modprobe hugetlbfs' if needed
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebooting services; ensure compatibility with custom kernel modules or proprietary drivers before deploying in production

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,800
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-0841 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data