NULL pointer dereference in Linux

CVE-2024-53188

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: ath12k: fix crash when unbinding If there is an error during some initialization related to firmware, the function ath12k_dp_cc_cleanup is called to release resources. However this is released again when the device is unbinded (ath12k_pci), and we get: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000020 at RIP: 0010:ath12k_dp_cc_cleanup.part.0+0xb6/0x500 [ath12k] Call Trace: ath12k_dp_cc_cleanup ath12k_dp_free ath12k_core_deinit ath12k_pci_remove ... The issue is always reproducible from a VM because the MSI addressing initialization is failing. In order to fix the issue, just set to NULL the released structure in ath12k_dp_cc_cleanup at the end.

EPSS: 0.002 (14.3th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2024-53188?
CVE-2024-53188 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under NULL Pointer Dereference. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2024-12-27.
How severe is CVE-2024-53188?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.
Is CVE-2024-53188 known to be exploited?
1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.