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.
02 / AFFECTED SOFTWARE
Affected packages
881 explicit affected versions
03 / CONNECTIONS
Connected vulnerabilities
04 / EVIDENCE
Source records
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.
05 / REFERENCES
Further evidence
- https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0100aeb8a12d51950418e685f879cc80cb8e5982
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/797323d1cf92d09b7a017cfec576d9babf99cde7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/82f0b6f041fad768c28b4ad05a683065412c226e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/941e816185661bf2b44b488565d09444ae316509
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/adccdf702b4ea913ded5ff512239e382d7473b63
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bc17f2377818dca643a74499c3f5333500c90503
- https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2024/41xxx/CVE-2024-41055.json
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/01/msg00001.html
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-41055