CVE-2024-46896 – This CVE describes a NULL pointer dereference v... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-46896?

CVE-2024-46896 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This CVE describes a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's AMD GPU driver. When a compute shader (CS) fails validation, the driver attempts to free resources using an invalid scheduler pointer, potentially causing a kernel crash. This affects Linux systems with AMD GPUs using the affected kernel versions.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's AMD GPU driver. When a compute shader (CS) fails validation, the driver attempts to free resources using an invalid scheduler pointer, potentially causing a kernel crash. This affects Linux systems with AMD GPUs using the affected kernel versions.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with AMD GPU driver (drm/amdgpu)

Versions: Kernel versions containing commit 2320c9e6a768 up to fixes in stable kernels

Operating Systems: Linux distributions with affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires AMD GPU hardware and use of compute shader functionality that can fail validation.

📦 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 →

⚠️ 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 instability when GPU compute operations fail validation, resulting in denial of service for affected applications.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact if systems are patched or don't use the affected GPU driver functionality.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This requires local access or ability to trigger GPU operations, not directly exploitable over network.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or processes with GPU access could trigger the crash, affecting system stability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires ability to trigger GPU compute operations that fail validation. Likely requires local access or compromised application with GPU access.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Fixed in stable kernel commits: 65501a4fd84e, 67291d601f2b, a93b1020eb93, da6b2c626ae7

Vendor Advisory: https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/03/msg00001.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution. 2. For Debian systems, apply security updates via apt. 3. Reboot system to load new kernel.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable AMD GPU compute functionality

linux

Prevent use of compute shaders that could trigger the vulnerability

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

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict GPU access to trusted users and applications only
Monitor system logs for kernel panic or GPU driver crash events

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and if AMD GPU driver is loaded: uname -r && lsmod | grep amdgpu

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version is updated beyond vulnerable commits and system remains stable during GPU operations

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages
GPU driver crash logs in dmesg
System crash/reboot events

Network Indicators:

None - this is a local vulnerability

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("panic" OR "Oops" OR "BUG") AND "amdgpu"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-46896

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

EPSS Score: 0.04% exploit probability (10.2th percentile)

Published: January 11, 2025

Last Updated: November 3, 2025

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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