How severe is CVE-2024-36281?

CVE-2024-36281 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2024-36281 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (15th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2024-36281?

CVE-2024-36281 primarily affects Linux Linux Kernel. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2024-36281?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

Does CVE-2024-36281 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2024-36281 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2024-36014.

When was CVE-2024-36281 published?

CVE-2024-36281 was published on 2024-06-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2024-36281

CVE-2024-36281 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-476.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (15th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2024-36014
Weakness: CWE-476
Affected product: Linux Linux Kernel
Published: 2024-06-21
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5: Use mlx5_ipsec_rx_status_destroy to correctly delete status rules rx_create no longer allocates a modify_hdr instance that needs to be cleaned up. The mlx5_modify_header_dealloc call will lead to a NULL pointer dereference. A leak in the rules also previously occurred since there are now two rules populated related to status. BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page PGD 109907067 P4D 109907067 PUD 116890067 PMD 0 Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP CPU: 1 PID: 484 Comm: ip Not tainted 6.9.0-rc2-rrameshbabu+ #254 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS Arch Linux 1.16.3-1-1 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:mlx5_modify_header_dealloc+0xd/0x70 <snip> Call Trace: <TASK> ? show_regs+0x60/0x70 ? __die+0x24/0x70 ? page_fault_oops+0x15f/0x430 ? free_to_partial_list.constprop.0+0x79/0x150 ? do_user_addr_fault+0x2c9/0x5c0 ? exc_page_fault+0x63/0x110 ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x27/0x30 ? mlx5_modify_header_dealloc+0xd/0x70 rx_create+0x374/0x590 rx_add_rule+0x3ad/0x500 ? rx_add_rule+0x3ad/0x500 ? mlx5_cmd_exec+0x2c/0x40 ? mlx5_create_ipsec_obj+0xd6/0x200 mlx5e_accel_ipsec_fs_add_rule+0x31/0xf0 mlx5e_xfrm_add_state+0x426/0xc00 <snip>

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2024-36281?: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5: Use mlx5_ipsec_rx_status_destroy to correctly delete status rules rx_create no longer allocates a modify_hdr instance that needs to be cleaned up. The mlx5_modify_header_dealloc call will lead to a NULL pointer dereference. A leak in the rules also previously occurred since there are now two rules populated related to status. BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page PGD 109907067 P4D 109907067 PUD 116890067 PMD 0 Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP CPU: 1 PID: 484 Comm: ip Not tainted 6.9.0-rc2-rrameshbabu+ #254 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS Arch Linux 1.16.3-1-1 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:mlx5_modify_header_dealloc+0xd/0x70 <snip> Call Trace: <TASK> ? show_regs+0x60/0x70 ? __die+0x24/0x70 ? page_fault_oops+0x15f/0x430 ? free_to_partial_list.constprop.0+0x79/0x150 ? do_user_addr_fault+0x2c9/0x5c0 ? exc_page_fault+0x63/0x110 ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x27/0x30 ? mlx5_modify_header_dealloc+0xd/0x70 rx_create+0x374/0x590 rx_add_rule+0x3ad/0x500 ? rx_add_rule+0x3ad/0x500 ? mlx5_cmd_exec+0x2c/0x40 ? mlx5_create_ipsec_obj+0xd6/0x200 mlx5e_accel_ipsec_fs_add_rule+0x31/0xf0 mlx5e_xfrm_add_state+0x426/0xc00 <snip>
How severe is CVE-2024-36281?: CVE-2024-36281 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2024-36281 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (15th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2024-36281?: CVE-2024-36281 primarily affects Linux Linux Kernel. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2024-36281?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
Does CVE-2024-36281 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2024-36281 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2024-36014.
When was CVE-2024-36281 published?: CVE-2024-36281 was published on 2024-06-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.10:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*

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