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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2024-43859

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-08-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.6.44 / 6.10.3 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 · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: f2fs: fix to truncate preallocated blocks in f2fs_file_open() chenyuwen reports a f2fs bug as below: Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 0000000000000011 fscrypt_set_bio_crypt_ctx+0x78/0x1e8 f2fs_grab_read_bio+0x78/0x208 f2fs_submit_page_read+0x44/0x154 f2fs_get_read_data_page+0x288/0x5f4 f2fs_get_lock_data_page+0x60/0x190 truncate_partial_data_page+0x108/0x4fc f2fs_do_truncate_blocks+0x344/0x5f0 f2fs_truncate_blocks+0x6c/0x134 f2fs_truncate+0xd8/0x200 f2fs_iget+0x20c/0x5ac do_garbage_collect+0x5d0/0xf6c f2fs_gc+0x22c/0x6a4 f2fs_disable_checkpoint+0xc8/0x310 f2fs_fill_super+0x14bc/0x1764 mount_bdev+0x1b4/0x21c f2fs_mount+0x20/0x30 legacy_get_tree+0x50/0xbc vfs_get_tree+0x5c/0x1b0 do_new_mount+0x298/0x4cc path_mount+0x33c/0x5fc __arm64_sys_mount+0xcc/0x15c invoke_syscall+0x60/0x150 el0_svc_common+0xb8/0xf8 do_el0_svc+0x28/0xa0 el0_svc+0x24/0x84 el0t_64_sync_handler+0x88/0xec It is because inode.i_crypt_info is not initialized during below path: - mount - f2fs_fill_super - f2fs_disable_checkpoint - f2fs_gc - f2fs_iget - f2fs_truncate So, let's relocate truncation of preallocated blocks to f2fs_file_open(), after fscrypt_file_open().

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:>= 5.17, < 6.6.44>= 6.7, < 6.10.3

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 6.6.44 / 6.10.3 or later
Fixed in 6.6.446.10.3
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 6.6.44 or 6.10.3 (whichever is appropriate for your branch)

  1. 1. Identify the current running Linux kernel version using 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version'
  2. 2. For systems running kernel 6.6.x (versions < 6.6.44): Upgrade to kernel version 6.6.44 or later from your distribution's kernel repositories
  3. 3. For systems running kernel 6.7.x through 6.10.x (versions < 6.10.3): Upgrade to kernel version 6.10.3 or later from your distribution's kernel repositories
  4. 4. For systems running kernel 5.17+ but < 6.6: Consider upgrading to the 6.6.44+ or 6.10.3+ release train
  5. 5. After kernel upgrade, reboot the system to load the fixed kernel
  6. 6. For production systems, test the new kernel on staging infrastructure before deploying broadly
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require matching system utilities and drivers; ensure distribution compatibility before upgrading

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-2024-43859 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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