Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2024-38608
A fix is available.
Upgrade to 6.9.3 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 · uneditedIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5e: Fix netif state handling mlx5e_suspend cleans resources only if netif_device_present() returns true. However, mlx5e_resume changes the state of netif, via mlx5e_nic_enable, only if reg_state == NETREG_REGISTERED. In the below case, the above leads to NULL-ptr Oops[1] and memory leaks: mlx5e_probe _mlx5e_resume mlx5e_attach_netdev mlx5e_nic_enable <-- netdev not reg, not calling netif_device_attach() register_netdev <-- failed for some reason. ERROR_FLOW: _mlx5e_suspend <-- netif_device_present return false, resources aren't freed :( Hence, clean resources in this case as well. [1] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 PGD 0 P4D 0 Oops: 0010 [#1] SMP CPU: 2 PID: 9345 Comm: test-ovs-ct-gen Not tainted 6.5.0_for_upstream_min_debug_2023_09_05_16_01 #1 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.13.0-0-gf21b5a4aeb02-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:0x0 Code: Unable to access opcode bytes at0xffffffffffffffd6. RSP: 0018:ffff888178aaf758 EFLAGS: 00010246 Call Trace: <TASK> ? __die+0x20/0x60 ? page_fault_oops+0x14c/0x3c0 ? exc_page_fault+0x75/0x140 ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x22/0x30 notifier_call_chain+0x35/0xb0 blocking_notifier_call_chain+0x3d/0x60 mlx5_blocking_notifier_call_chain+0x22/0x30 [mlx5_core] mlx5_core_uplink_netdev_event_replay+0x3e/0x60 [mlx5_core] mlx5_mdev_netdev_track+0x53/0x60 [mlx5_ib] mlx5_ib_roce_init+0xc3/0x340 [mlx5_ib] __mlx5_ib_add+0x34/0xd0 [mlx5_ib] mlx5r_probe+0xe1/0x210 [mlx5_ib] ? auxiliary_match_id+0x6a/0x90 auxiliary_bus_probe+0x38/0x80 ? driver_sysfs_add+0x51/0x80 really_probe+0xc9/0x3e0 ? driver_probe_device+0x90/0x90 __driver_probe_device+0x80/0x160 driver_probe_device+0x1e/0x90 __device_attach_driver+0x7d/0x100 bus_for_each_drv+0x80/0xd0 __device_attach+0xbc/0x1f0 bus_probe_device+0x86/0xa0 device_add+0x637/0x840 __auxiliary_device_add+0x3b/0xa0 add_adev+0xc9/0x140 [mlx5_core] mlx5_rescan_drivers_locked+0x22a/0x310 [mlx5_core] mlx5_register_device+0x53/0xa0 [mlx5_core] mlx5_init_one_devl_locked+0x5c4/0x9c0 [mlx5_core] mlx5_init_one+0x3b/0x60 [mlx5_core] probe_one+0x44c/0x730 [mlx5_core] local_pci_probe+0x3e/0x90 pci_device_probe+0xbf/0x210 ? kernfs_create_link+0x5d/0xa0 ? sysfs_do_create_link_sd+0x60/0xc0 really_probe+0xc9/0x3e0 ? driver_probe_device+0x90/0x90 __driver_probe_device+0x80/0x160 driver_probe_device+0x1e/0x90 __device_attach_driver+0x7d/0x100 bus_for_each_drv+0x80/0xd0 __device_attach+0xbc/0x1f0 pci_bus_add_device+0x54/0x80 pci_iov_add_virtfn+0x2e6/0x320 sriov_enable+0x208/0x420 mlx5_core_sriov_configure+0x9e/0x200 [mlx5_core] sriov_numvfs_store+0xae/0x1a0 kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x10c/0x1a0 vfs_write+0x291/0x3c0 ksys_write+0x5f/0xe0 do_syscall_64+0x3d/0x90 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x46/0xb0 CR2: 0000000000000000 ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]---
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:
>= 4.12, < 6.9.3CVSS 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 6.9.3 or later
Fixed in
6.9.3
Vendor patch
git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix
High confidence
Linux Kernel 6.9.3 or later stable release
- Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 6.9.3 or later to address the NULL pointer dereference in the mlx5e driver
- After kernel upgrade, verify the running kernel version with 'uname -r' to confirm the fix is applied
- For production systems, ensure the mlx5e driver (mlx5_core, mlx5_ib kernel modules) are loaded and functioning correctly after reboot
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require system reboot and could have compatibility implications with custom kernel modules or specific hardware configurations. Ensure all dependent drivers (mlx5_core, mlx5_ib) are compatible with the new kernel version.
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
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner
Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-38608 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-38608 in production — separate from our analysis above.
Know something about CVE-2024-38608?
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
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What belongs here
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