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CVE Record

CVE-2024-41055: mm: prevent derefencing NULL ptr in pfn_section_valid()

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm: prevent derefencing NULL ptr in pfn_section_valid() Commit 5ec8e8ea8b77 ("mm/sparsemem: fix race in accessing memory_section->usage") changed pfn_section_valid() to add a READ_ONCE() call around "ms->usage" to fix a race with section_deactivate() where ms->usage can be cleared. The READ_ONCE() call, by itself, is not enough to prevent NULL pointer dereference. We need to check its value before dereferencing it.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysisunknown

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2024-41055 is a Linux kernel memory-management bug where the kernel may dereference a NULL pointer while checking sparse memory metadata. For executives, treat this as a stability and availability risk until your Linux fleet is confirmed patched by your OS vendor. The provided sources do not include CVSS, CWE, or evidence of active exploitation.

Executive priority

Handle through normal kernel patch governance, with higher priority for critical Linux infrastructure. There is not enough source evidence to justify emergency treatment, but kernel availability issues can still disrupt business services if affected systems remain unpatched.

Technical view

The issue is in pfn_section_valid(). A prior race fix added READ_ONCE() around ms->usage, but did not check whether the value was NULL before dereferencing it. The kernel fix adds the missing safety check. The source bundle names Linux kernel versions and stable commits, but version semantics are incomplete, so validate against distro advisories.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most relevant to systems running Linux kernels in the affected version data or downstream kernels that incorporated the faulty change without the later fix. Cloud, server, appliance, and embedded Linux deployments should be inventoried by kernel package and vendor advisory status.

Exploitation context

The bundle says KEV is false and provides no public exploitation evidence. It describes a kernel NULL pointer dereference condition, which commonly affects reliability or denial-of-service risk, but the provided sources do not prove exploitability, privilege requirements, or remote reachability.

Researcher notes

The key code path is pfn_section_valid() in Linux memory management. The vulnerable pattern is reading ms->usage and then dereferencing it without confirming it is non-NULL. Focus analysis on whether local workloads can trigger the race and on mapping downstream backports to the stable commits.

Mitigation direction

  • Check your Linux distribution advisory for CVE-2024-41055.
  • Update to a vendor kernel that includes the referenced stable fix.
  • Reboot systems after kernel update so the fixed kernel is active.
  • Prioritize internet-facing, multi-tenant, and high-availability Linux systems.
  • Track Debian LTS guidance if using affected Debian LTS kernels.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory running kernel versions across Linux hosts.
  • Compare kernel packages against vendor CVE-2024-41055 advisories.
  • Confirm the running kernel changed after reboot.
  • Verify downstream kernel changelogs include the pfn_section_valid() fix.
  • Record exceptions where vendor guidance is not yet available.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
9

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

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

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CVE-2024-41055 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

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.

0CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
2ADP providers
8Source links

SSVC decision data

CISA-ADPCISA Coordinator
Timestamp
Version
2.0.3
Exploitation: noneAutomatable: noTechnical Impact: partial

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

ADP provider summaries

CVECVE Program Container
CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
other:ssvc

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux90ad17575d26874287271127d43ef3c2af876cea, b448de2459b6d62a53892487ab18b7d823ff0529, 68ed9e33324021e9d6b798e9db00ca3093d2012a, 70064241f2229f7ba7b9599a98f68d9142e81a97, 5ec8e8ea8b7783fab150cf86404fc38cb4db8800, 5ec8e8ea8b7783fab150cf86404fc38cb4db8800, 3a01daace71b521563c38bbbf874e14c3e58adb7, 5.10.210, 5.15.149, 6.1.76, 6.6.15, 6.7.3unaffected
LinuxLinux6.8, 0, 5.10.222, 5.15.163, 6.1.100, 6.6.41, 6.9.10, 6.10affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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