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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2024-36489

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-06-21
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.10.219 / 5.15.161 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available

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
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tls: fix missing memory barrier in tls_init In tls_init(), a write memory barrier is missing, and store-store reordering may cause NULL dereference in tls_{setsockopt,getsockopt}. CPU0 CPU1 ----- ----- // In tls_init() // In tls_ctx_create() ctx = kzalloc() ctx->sk_proto = READ_ONCE(sk->sk_prot) -(1) // In update_sk_prot() WRITE_ONCE(sk->sk_prot, tls_prots) -(2) // In sock_common_setsockopt() READ_ONCE(sk->sk_prot)->setsockopt() // In tls_{setsockopt,getsockopt}() ctx->sk_proto->setsockopt() -(3) In the above scenario, when (1) and (2) are reordered, (3) can observe the NULL value of ctx->sk_proto, causing NULL dereference. To fix it, we rely on rcu_assign_pointer() which implies the release barrier semantic. By moving rcu_assign_pointer() after ctx->sk_proto is initialized, we can ensure that ctx->sk_proto are visible when changing sk->sk_prot.

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
How this class of weakness works · CWE-476

The code follows a pointer that is null, crashing the process. An attacker who can reliably trigger it turns the crash into a denial of service. The fix is checking for null before use and handling the failure path gracefully.

General guidance for the null pointer dereference class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

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:>= 5.7, < 5.10.219>= 5.11, < 5.15.161>= 5.16, < 6.1.93>= 6.2, < 6.6.33>= 6.7, < 6.9.4

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

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

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 5.10.219 / 5.15.161 / 6.1.93 or later
Fixed in 5.10.2195.15.1616.1.93
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Kernel version >= 5.10.219 (for 5.10.x), >= 5.15.161 (for 5.15.x), >= 6.1.93 (for 6.1.x), or >= 6.6.33 (for 6.6.x); or latest stable (6.9.x/6.10.x)

  1. Identify the current kernel version using 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version'
  2. Determine which stable branch your current kernel version belongs to (5.10.x, 5.15.x, 6.1.x, or 6.6.x)
  3. For 5.10.x: Upgrade to kernel version 5.10.219 or later
  4. For 5.15.x: Upgrade to kernel version 5.15.161 or later
  5. For 6.1.x: Upgrade to kernel version 6.1.93 or later
  6. For 6.6.x: Upgrade to kernel version 6.6.33 or later
  7. Alternatively, upgrade to the latest stable kernel version (e.g., 6.9.x or later) which includes all fixes
  8. Apply the kernel upgrade via your distribution's package manager (apt-get update && apt-get upgrade, yum update, dnf update, etc.)
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebuilding third-party kernel modules; ensure driver compatibility with the new kernel version before upgrading production systems

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

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $2,850. Get the upgrade done

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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-2024-36489 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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