LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2024-42134: virtio-pci: Check if is_avq is NULL

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: virtio-pci: Check if is_avq is NULL [bug] In the virtio_pci_common.c function vp_del_vqs, vp_dev->is_avq is involved to determine whether it is admin virtqueue, but this function vp_dev->is_avq may be empty. For installations, virtio_pci_legacy does not assign a value to vp_dev->is_avq. [fix] Check whether it is vp_dev->is_avq before use. [test] Test with virsh Attach device Before this patch, the following command would crash the guest system After applying the patch, everything seems to be working fine.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Discuss exposureBack to CVEs
Glexia's Takemoderate

Analyst readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2024-42134 is a Linux kernel virtio-pci flaw that can crash a guest system in affected virtualization configurations. The issue is a missing NULL check in code handling virtual queues. Public sources describe a fix, but provide no CVSS score and no evidence of active exploitation.

Executive priority

Treat this as a reliability and availability issue for virtualized Linux workloads. It is not currently supported as actively exploited, but affected environments should patch through normal kernel maintenance because guest crashes can disrupt services.

Technical view

In virtio_pci_common.c, vp_del_vqs() used vp_dev->is_avq to classify admin virtqueues even when that function pointer could be NULL. virtio_pci_legacy did not assign it. The upstream fix checks vp_dev->is_avq before use, preventing the crash observed during virtio device attach testing.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely on Linux systems running affected kernel versions in virtualization environments using virtio-pci, especially legacy virtio-pci paths. The provided data lists Linux 6.8 through 6.9.9 and 6.10 as affected, but distribution backports may change practical exposure.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show active exploitation, and CISA KEV status is false. Public details indicate a denial-of-service style guest crash condition triggered in testing with virtual device attachment, not privilege escalation or data exposure.

Researcher notes

Evidence is limited to the CVE record and upstream stable commits. The vulnerability is a NULL function pointer use in virtio-pci cleanup logic. The bundle describes crash reproduction through device attachment testing but does not provide CVSS, CWE, exploit maturity, or distribution-specific fixed versions.

Mitigation direction

  • Update affected Linux kernels to vendor builds containing the referenced virtio-pci fix.
  • Check Linux distribution advisories for backported stable kernel packages.
  • Prioritize virtualization guests that use virtio-pci or legacy virtio-pci devices.
  • If patching is delayed, review vendor guidance for operational workarounds.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux kernel versions on virtualized systems and compare against vendor advisories.
  • Confirm patched builds include the referenced virtio-pci NULL-check commits.
  • Review virtualization platforms for guests using virtio-pci legacy device paths.
  • Monitor kernel crash logs for virtio-pci or vp_del_vqs related failures.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
4

Public sources used

Based on public source material and reviewed before publication.

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

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2024-42134 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
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
3Source 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
LinuxLinuxfd27ef6b44bec26915c5b2b22c13856d9f0ba17a, fd27ef6b44bec26915c5b2b22c13856d9f0ba17aunaffected
LinuxLinux6.8, 0, 6.9.9, 6.10affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.