CVE-2024-50156 – A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-50156?

CVE-2024-50156 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's MSM display driver could cause kernel panics or system crashes when specific display operations fail. This affects Linux systems using the MSM display driver, primarily impacting devices with Qualcomm chipsets like smartphones and embedded systems.

📋 TL;DR

A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's MSM display driver could cause kernel panics or system crashes when specific display operations fail. This affects Linux systems using the MSM display driver, primarily impacting devices with Qualcomm chipsets like smartphones and embedded systems.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with MSM display driver

Versions: Linux kernel versions before the fix commits (see references)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires MSM display driver to be enabled and used. Primarily affects ARM devices with Qualcomm chipsets.

📦 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 requiring physical reboot.

🟠

Likely Case

System instability or crash when display operations fail under memory pressure conditions.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minor performance impact with proper error handling preventing crashes.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access or specific display operations to trigger.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Could be triggered by local users or applications with display access.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires triggering specific display subsystem operations that fail memory allocation.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Linux kernel with commits 293f53263266bc4340d777268ab4328a97f041fa or later

Vendor Advisory: https://patchwork.freedesktop.org/patch/619657/

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Rebuild kernel if compiling from source. 3. Reboot system to load patched kernel.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable MSM display driver

linux

Remove or disable the vulnerable driver module if not required

modprobe -r msm
echo 'blacklist msm' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Monitor system logs for display subsystem failures and memory allocation errors
Restrict user access to display configuration tools and privileged operations

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and if MSM driver is loaded: 'uname -r' and 'lsmod | grep msm'

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version includes fix commits or is newer than vulnerable versions

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages
'NULL pointer dereference' in kernel logs
Display subsystem failure logs

Network Indicators:

None - local vulnerability

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("NULL pointer" OR "panic" OR "msm_disp")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-50156

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: November 7, 2024

Last Updated: November 3, 2025

🔗 References

📤 Share & Export

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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