Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2024-35940 is a Linux kernel null pointer issue in pstore/zone crash-log handling. A local low-privileged user could potentially trigger a kernel availability failure. It is not described as remotely exploitable, and the provided sources do not show active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate operational reliability issue. It should be included in regular kernel patch cycles, with higher priority for shared Linux hosts, managed appliances, and environments where untrusted local users or workloads exist.
Technical view
The bug is CWE-476 in psz_kmsg_read: kasprintf() can return NULL on allocation failure, and the kernel code did not validate that pointer before use. CVSS 3.1 is 5.5 with local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, and high availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most relevant to Linux systems running affected kernel versions or downstream packages, especially multi-user servers, containers hosts, appliances, and industrial products that include vulnerable kernels. Remote-only services with no local code execution path have lower direct exposure.
Exploitation context
The source bundle reports no CISA KEV listing and gives no evidence of active exploitation. The CVSS vector requires local access with low privileges, so this is mainly a local denial-of-service concern rather than a remote compromise issue.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports a local availability impact caused by missing NULL validation after kasprintf(). The bundle does not provide exploit details, affected configuration prerequisites, or proof of active exploitation. Downstream exposure depends on kernel packaging and backports.
Mitigation direction
- Update Linux kernels using vendor-supported packages or stable kernel fixes.
- Track distro advisories, including Debian LTS, for backported fixed kernels.
- Check Siemens guidance for affected industrial products and firmware availability.
- Reduce unnecessary local shell or workload access on shared systems.
- Prioritize systems where local users can run untrusted code.
Validation and detection
- Inventory kernel versions across servers, images, appliances, and embedded systems.
- Compare installed kernels against vendor fixed package or advisory status.
- Confirm whether pstore/zone functionality is enabled or relevant in deployed kernels.
- Review vendor advisories for downstream backport identifiers, not only upstream versions.
- Verify patch deployment through normal vulnerability management evidence.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-476: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2024-35940 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H1.83.6CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/98e2b97acb875d65bdfc75fc408e67975cef3041CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0ff96ec22a84d80a18d7ae8ca7eb111c34ee33bbCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/635594cca59f9d7a8e96187600c34facb8bc0682CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ec7256887d072f98c42cdbef4dcc80ddf84c7a70CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6f9f2e498eae7897ba5d3e33908917f68ff4abccCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/98bc7e26e14fbb26a6abf97603d59532475e97f8CVE reference, Linux
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/06/msg00017.htmlCVE reference, CVE · x_transferred
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-265688.htmlCVE reference, siemens-SADP
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
NULL Pointer Dereference
NULL Pointer Dereference represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.