Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2024-50146

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-07

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.11.6 or later.

See remediation →

57/100

Remediation priority · Elevated

Zero-click Patch available

Official description

NVD · unedited

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5e: Don't call cleanup on profile rollback failure When profile rollback fails in mlx5e_netdev_change_profile, the netdev profile var is left set to NULL. Avoid a crash when unloading the driver by not calling profile->cleanup in such a case. This was encountered while testing, with the original trigger that the wq rescuer thread creation got interrupted (presumably due to Ctrl+C-ing modprobe), which gets converted to ENOMEM (-12) by mlx5e_priv_init, the profile rollback also fails for the same reason (signal still active) so the profile is left as NULL, leading to a crash later in _mlx5e_remove. [ 732.473932] mlx5_core 0000:08:00.1: E-Switch: Unload vfs: mode(OFFLOADS), nvfs(2), necvfs(0), active vports(2) [ 734.525513] workqueue: Failed to create a rescuer kthread for wq "mlx5e": -EINTR [ 734.557372] mlx5_core 0000:08:00.1: mlx5e_netdev_init_profile:6235:(pid 6086): mlx5e_priv_init failed, err=-12 [ 734.559187] mlx5_core 0000:08:00.1 eth3: mlx5e_netdev_change_profile: new profile init failed, -12 [ 734.560153] workqueue: Failed to create a rescuer kthread for wq "mlx5e": -EINTR [ 734.589378] mlx5_core 0000:08:00.1: mlx5e_netdev_init_profile:6235:(pid 6086): mlx5e_priv_init failed, err=-12 [ 734.591136] mlx5_core 0000:08:00.1 eth3: mlx5e_netdev_change_profile: failed to rollback to orig profile, -12 [ 745.537492] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000008 [ 745.538222] #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode <snipped> [ 745.551290] Call Trace: [ 745.551590] <TASK> [ 745.551866] ? __die+0x20/0x60 [ 745.552218] ? page_fault_oops+0x150/0x400 [ 745.555307] ? exc_page_fault+0x79/0x240 [ 745.555729] ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x22/0x30 [ 745.556166] ? mlx5e_remove+0x6b/0xb0 [mlx5_core] [ 745.556698] auxiliary_bus_remove+0x18/0x30 [ 745.557134] device_release_driver_internal+0x1df/0x240 [ 745.557654] bus_remove_device+0xd7/0x140 [ 745.558075] device_del+0x15b/0x3c0 [ 745.558456] mlx5_rescan_drivers_locked.part.0+0xb1/0x2f0 [mlx5_core] [ 745.559112] mlx5_unregister_device+0x34/0x50 [mlx5_core] [ 745.559686] mlx5_uninit_one+0x46/0xf0 [mlx5_core] [ 745.560203] remove_one+0x4e/0xd0 [mlx5_core] [ 745.560694] pci_device_remove+0x39/0xa0 [ 745.561112] device_release_driver_internal+0x1df/0x240 [ 745.561631] driver_detach+0x47/0x90 [ 745.562022] bus_remove_driver+0x84/0x100 [ 745.562444] pci_unregister_driver+0x3b/0x90 [ 745.562890] mlx5_cleanup+0xc/0x1b [mlx5_core] [ 745.563415] __x64_sys_delete_module+0x14d/0x2f0 [ 745.563886] ? kmem_cache_free+0x1b0/0x460 [ 745.564313] ? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0xe2/0x190 [ 745.564825] do_syscall_64+0x6d/0x140 [ 745.565223] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53 [ 745.565725] RIP: 0033:0x7f1579b1288b

Technical summary

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

NVD · CPE data

Linux KernelOperating system

Affected:>= 5.12, < 6.11.6= 6.12

CVSS breakdown

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

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.11.6 or later

Fixed in 6.11.6

Vendor patch git.kernel.org →

Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 6.11.6 or later (6.12.x, 6.13, or latest stable)

Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 6.11.6 or later, or to the latest stable kernel release (6.12.x or 6.13+)

Caveat Kernel upgrades may require system reboot and could introduce compatibility changes with out-of-tree drivers or modules

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

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-50146 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2024-50146?

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

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 6.11.6 or later

Severity 5.5 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.2%

Affects: Linux Kernel

Remediation

Need this fixed?

Get a fix

Estimated effortfrom ~16 hrs

ComplexityComplex

Typical engagementfrom $2,850

What a fix involves

We scope it with you and confirm a fixed quote
A specialist builds a reviewed fix
You deploy it to staging first
Optional re-test once it’s live

We specialise in CVE remediation. Send your environment and we’ll scope CVE-2024-50146 and return a fixed quote.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Remediation

References