Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2024-50298 is a Linux kernel bug in the ENETC network driver. A local user with permissions to change network VF settings can trigger a null pointer dereference, likely crashing the kernel or affected network subsystem. This is mainly an availability risk, not a data theft or remote compromise issue.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted availability issue. Prioritize embedded, industrial, and network-facing appliances using ENETC hardware where downtime matters. It is lower urgency than remotely exploitable kernel flaws, but should be included in normal kernel and vendor patch cycles.
Technical view
The ENETC PF driver allocated vf_state only after VFs were enabled. The set-VF-MAC operation can be reached earlier, causing enetc_pf_set_vf_mac() to dereference a null pointer. The CVSS vector is local, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, unchanged scope, and high availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to Linux systems using the ENETC driver with PF/VF or SR-IOV management paths. Systems without this hardware or driver path are unlikely to be affected. Siemens advisories reference affected products, so embedded or industrial Linux deployments should be checked against vendor guidance.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show active exploitation, and CISA KEV is false. Exploitation requires local access and privileges sufficient to configure network virtual functions. The practical impact is denial of service through a kernel null pointer dereference.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record, Linux stable commits, and Siemens advisories. The root cause is CWE-476 null pointer dereference in the ENETC PF VF-state lifecycle. No public source in the bundle confirms weaponized exploitation or confidentiality/integrity impact.
Mitigation direction
- Apply Linux stable kernel fixes referenced by the kernel.org commits when available for your branch.
- Check Siemens product advisories for affected product versions and vendor-specific updates.
- Restrict local privileges for network device and SR-IOV/VF configuration.
- If patching is delayed, avoid unnecessary VF configuration on affected ENETC interfaces.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Linux hosts using ENETC network hardware or drivers.
- Identify kernels in affected version ranges from vendor or distribution advisories.
- Confirm whether SR-IOV or VF management is enabled on ENETC interfaces.
- Verify installed kernel includes the referenced stable fix or vendor backport.
- Review Siemens advisories if using Siemens products or firmware.
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-2024-50298 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/35668e29e979b3a1927d3959cdd87327afd8e5ebCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ef0edfbe9eeed1fccad7cb705648af5222664944CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7eb923f8d4819737c07d6a8d0daef0a4d7f99e0cCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e15c5506dd39885cd047f811a64240e2e8ab401bCVE reference, Linux
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-082556.htmlCVE reference, siemens-SADP
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-019113.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.