Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a Linux kernel availability issue affecting PowerPC pSeries LPAR environments. During boot, firmware may present a frozen PCI partition element without the expected DMA window property. The vulnerable kernel can crash during PCI bus setup, preventing the LPAR from booting cleanly.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted platform reliability risk, not a broad internet-facing emergency. Patch affected Power LPAR estates through normal kernel maintenance, with higher urgency for production systems dependent on rapid reboot recovery.
Technical view
The flaw is a NULL pointer dereference in pSeries PCI IOMMU setup when ibm,dma-window is missing for a frozen PE. The failure occurs during LPAR boot and can cause a kernel oops in pci_dma_bus_setup_pSeriesLP. CVSS is 6.2, with availability impact only.
Likely exposure
Exposure appears limited to Linux systems running on IBM Power pSeries LPARs with affected kernel versions and a frozen PE condition. General x86 Linux servers are not indicated by the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The sources do not show active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. The triggering condition is local/platform-specific: booting an affected LPAR while firmware presents a frozen PE without ibm,dma-window.
Researcher notes
The evidence supports a kernel NULL dereference during boot, tied to missing Open Firmware DMA metadata for a frozen PE. Source detail is sufficient for exposure scoping, but distro-specific package names, fixed builds, and operational workarounds require vendor advisories.
Mitigation direction
- Update to a vendor-supported Linux kernel containing the referenced stable fixes.
- Check distribution and IBM guidance for affected Power pSeries LPAR kernel builds.
- Prioritize systems that recently experienced PCI, PE, or firmware error conditions.
- Avoid assuming generic Linux fleet exposure without confirming Power pSeries LPAR usage.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Linux kernels running on IBM Power pSeries LPARs.
- Confirm whether running kernels include the referenced stable fix commits.
- Review boot logs for pci_dma_bus_setup_pSeriesLP NULL pointer dereference traces.
- Check platform logs for frozen PE or PCI error recovery events.
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
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ATT&CK lookup starting points
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CWE-476: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2024-36926 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
- 6.2 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/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:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H2.53.6CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.2MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/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/7fb5793c53f8c024e3eae9f0d44eb659aed833c4CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/802b13b79ab1fef66c6852fc745cf197dca0cb15CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2bed905a72485a2b79a001bd7e66c750942d2155CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/49a940dbdc3107fecd5e6d3063dc07128177e058CVE reference, Linux
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.