CVE-2024-41089 – A null pointer dereference vulnerability in the... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-41089?

CVE-2024-41089 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). A null pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's NVIDIA display driver (nouveau) could cause kernel crashes or denial of service. This affects systems using the open-source NVIDIA graphics driver with the affected kernel versions. The vulnerability occurs when the driver fails to properly handle memory allocation failures during display mode enumeration.

📋 TL;DR

A null pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's NVIDIA display driver (nouveau) could cause kernel crashes or denial of service. This affects systems using the open-source NVIDIA graphics driver with the affected kernel versions. The vulnerability occurs when the driver fails to properly handle memory allocation failures during display mode enumeration.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with nouveau display driver

Versions: Specific kernel versions containing the vulnerable code (check git commits for exact ranges)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems using the open-source nouveau driver for NVIDIA graphics cards. Systems using proprietary NVIDIA drivers are not affected.

📦 What is this software?

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Kernel panic leading to system crash and denial of service, potentially causing data loss or system instability.

🟠

Likely Case

System crash or kernel panic when specific display operations are performed, requiring system reboot.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact with proper kernel hardening and privilege separation, as this requires local access to trigger.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This is a local privilege vulnerability requiring access to the affected system.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or processes could crash the system, but requires specific conditions to trigger.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires local access and specific conditions to trigger the null pointer dereference. No known public exploits at this time.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions containing the fix commits: 1c9f2e60150b4f13789064370e37f39e6e060f50, 30cbf6ffafbbdd8a6e4e5f0a2e9a9827ee83f3ad, 56fc4d3b0bdef691831cd95715a7ca3ebea98b2d, 5eecb49a6c268dc229005bf6e8167d4001dc09a0, 6d411c8ccc0137a612e0044489030a194ff5c843

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1c9f2e60150b4f13789064370e37f39e6e060f50

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update to a patched kernel version from your distribution's repositories. 2. Rebuild kernel if using custom kernel. 3. Reboot system to load new kernel.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable nouveau driver

linux

Temporarily disable the nouveau driver and use alternative display drivers

echo 'blacklist nouveau' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-nouveau.conf
update-initramfs -u
reboot

Use proprietary NVIDIA driver

linux

Switch to proprietary NVIDIA drivers instead of the open-source nouveau driver

apt-get install nvidia-driver-xxx # Ubuntu/Debian
dnf install akmod-nvidia # Fedora/RHEL

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict local user access to systems with vulnerable kernels
Implement kernel hardening features like KASLR and stack protection

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and nouveau driver usage: 'uname -r' and 'lsmod | grep nouveau'

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version is updated and nouveau driver is either updated or disabled

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages in /var/log/kern.log or dmesg
NULL pointer dereference errors in kernel logs
System crash/reboot events

Network Indicators:

None - this is a local vulnerability

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("NULL pointer dereference" OR "kernel panic" OR "Oops") AND "nouveau"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-41089

CVSS v3 Score: 5.5 (MEDIUM)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CWE: CWE-476

Published: July 29, 2024

Last Updated: November 3, 2025

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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