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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2024-53131

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.1.119 / 6.6.63 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: nilfs2: fix null-ptr-deref in block_touch_buffer tracepoint Patch series "nilfs2: fix null-ptr-deref bugs on block tracepoints". This series fixes null pointer dereference bugs that occur when using nilfs2 and two block-related tracepoints. This patch (of 2): It has been reported that when using "block:block_touch_buffer" tracepoint, touch_buffer() called from __nilfs_get_folio_block() causes a NULL pointer dereference, or a general protection fault when KASAN is enabled. This happens because since the tracepoint was added in touch_buffer(), it references the dev_t member bh->b_bdev->bd_dev regardless of whether the buffer head has a pointer to a block_device structure. In the current implementation, the block_device structure is set after the function returns to the caller. Here, touch_buffer() is used to mark the folio/page that owns the buffer head as accessed, but the common search helper for folio/page used by the caller function was optimized to mark the folio/page as accessed when it was reimplemented a long time ago, eliminating the need to call touch_buffer() here in the first place. So this solves the issue by eliminating the touch_buffer() call itself.

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:>= 3.9, < 6.1.119>= 6.6.0, < 6.6.63>= 6.11.0, < 6.11.10

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 6.1.119 / 6.6.63 / 6.11.10 or later
Fixed in 6.1.1196.6.636.11.10
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

6.1.119+ or 6.6.63+ or 6.11.10+ (depending on kernel branch)

  1. Identify the current Linux kernel version using 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version'
  2. Determine which version range your current kernel falls into: < 6.1.119, < 6.6.63, or < 6.11.10
  3. For distribution kernels (Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL, etc.), use the distribution's package manager to upgrade: 'sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get linux-image-generic' (Debian/Ubuntu) or 'sudo yum update kernel' (RHEL/CentOS)
  4. For upstream kernels, download and install the appropriate fixed version: 6.1.119+, 6.6.63+, or 6.11.10+
  5. Reboot the system into the new kernel using 'sudo reboot'
  6. Verify the new kernel version is running with 'uname -r'
Caveat Kernel upgrades may introduce compatibility changes with third-party modules or specific hardware drivers; test in non-production environment first

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-2024-53131 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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