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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2024-53238

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.11.11 / 6.12.2 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: Bluetooth: btmtk: adjust the position to init iso data anchor MediaTek iso data anchor init should be moved to where MediaTek claims iso data interface. If there is an unexpected BT usb disconnect during setup flow, it will cause a NULL pointer crash issue when releasing iso anchor since the anchor wasn't been init yet. Adjust the position to do iso data anchor init. [ 17.137991] pc : usb_kill_anchored_urbs+0x60/0x168 [ 17.137998] lr : usb_kill_anchored_urbs+0x44/0x168 [ 17.137999] sp : ffffffc0890cb5f0 [ 17.138000] x29: ffffffc0890cb5f0 x28: ffffff80bb6c2e80 [ 17.144081] gpio gpiochip0: registered chardev handle for 1 lines [ 17.148421] x27: 0000000000000000 [ 17.148422] x26: ffffffd301ff4298 x25: 0000000000000003 x24: 00000000000000f0 [ 17.148424] x23: 0000000000000000 x22: 00000000ffffffff x21: 0000000000000001 [ 17.148425] x20: ffffffffffffffd8 x19: ffffff80c0f25560 x18: 0000000000000000 [ 17.148427] x17: ffffffd33864e408 x16: ffffffd33808f7c8 x15: 0000000000200000 [ 17.232789] x14: e0cd73cf80ffffff x13: 50f2137c0a0338c9 x12: 0000000000000001 [ 17.239912] x11: 0000000080150011 x10: 0000000000000002 x9 : 0000000000000001 [ 17.247035] x8 : 0000000000000000 x7 : 0000000000008080 x6 : 8080000000000000 [ 17.254158] x5 : ffffffd33808ebc0 x4 : fffffffe033dcf20 x3 : 0000000080150011 [ 17.261281] x2 : ffffff8087a91400 x1 : 0000000000000000 x0 : ffffff80c0f25588 [ 17.268404] Call trace: [ 17.270841] usb_kill_anchored_urbs+0x60/0x168 [ 17.275274] btusb_mtk_release_iso_intf+0x2c/0xd8 [btusb (HASH:5afe 6)] [ 17.284226] btusb_mtk_disconnect+0x14/0x28 [btusb (HASH:5afe 6)] [ 17.292652] btusb_disconnect+0x70/0x140 [btusb (HASH:5afe 6)] [ 17.300818] usb_unbind_interface+0xc4/0x240 [ 17.305079] device_release_driver_internal+0x18c/0x258 [ 17.310296] device_release_driver+0x1c/0x30 [ 17.314557] bus_remove_device+0x140/0x160 [ 17.318643] device_del+0x1c0/0x330 [ 17.322121] usb_disable_device+0x80/0x180 [ 17.326207] usb_disconnect+0xec/0x300 [ 17.329948] hub_quiesce+0x80/0xd0 [ 17.333339] hub_disconnect+0x44/0x190 [ 17.337078] usb_unbind_interface+0xc4/0x240 [ 17.341337] device_release_driver_internal+0x18c/0x258 [ 17.346551] device_release_driver+0x1c/0x30 [ 17.350810] usb_driver_release_interface+0x70/0x88 [ 17.355677] proc_ioctl+0x13c/0x228 [ 17.359157] proc_ioctl_default+0x50/0x80 [ 17.363155] usbdev_ioctl+0x830/0xd08 [ 17.366808] __arm64_sys_ioctl+0x94/0xd0 [ 17.370723] invoke_syscall+0x6c/0xf8 [ 17.374377] el0_svc_common+0x84/0xe0 [ 17.378030] do_el0_svc+0x20/0x30 [ 17.381334] el0_svc+0x34/0x60 [ 17.384382] el0t_64_sync_handler+0x88/0xf0 [ 17.388554] el0t_64_sync+0x180/0x188 [ 17.392208] Code: f9400677 f100a2f4 54fffea0 d503201f (b8350288) [ 17.398289] ---[ 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:>= 6.11, < 6.11.11>= 6.12, < 6.12.2

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 6.11.11 / 6.12.2 or later
Fixed in 6.11.116.12.2
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 6.11.11 or 6.12.2 (or later stable release)

  1. Identify your current Linux kernel version using 'uname -r'
  2. Check your distribution's package manager for available kernel updates (e.g., 'apt update && apt list --upgradable' for Debian/Ubuntu, 'yum check-update' for RHEL/CentOS, or 'pacman -Syu' for Arch)
  3. Upgrade the kernel to version 6.11.11 or higher (for 6.11.x branch) OR version 6.12.2 or higher (for 6.12.x branch)
  4. Reboot the system to load the new kernel
  5. Verify the kernel version after reboot using 'uname -r' to confirm the fix is applied
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebuilding third-party kernel modules (like proprietary GPU drivers). Ensure you have access to console for recovery if the new kernel fails to boot.

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-2024-53238 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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