CVE-2024-53224
📋 TL;DR
A race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's RDMA/mlx5 driver allows a NULL pointer dereference during device deregistration. This can cause kernel panics and system crashes on systems using InfiniBand/RDMA with mlx5 hardware. Affected systems are those running vulnerable Linux kernel versions with mlx5_ib driver loaded.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel
📦 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Kernel panic leading to system crash and denial of service, potentially causing data loss or service disruption.
Likely Case
System crash or kernel panic when RDMA devices are being deregistered, leading to temporary service interruption.
If Mitigated
No impact if patched or if RDMA/mlx5 driver is not in use.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires triggering specific race condition during device deregistration, typically requires local access or RDMA network access
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Patches available in git commits: 542bd62b7a7f37182c9ef192c2bd25d118c144e4, 6b0acf6a94c31efa43fce4edc22413a3390f9c05, 921fcf2971a1e8d3b904ba2c2905b96f4ec3d4ad, ede132a5cf559f3ab35a4c28bac4f4a6c20334d8
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/542bd62b7a7f37182c9ef192c2bd25d118c144e4
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix. 2. Check with your distribution vendor for backported patches. 3. Reboot system after kernel update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable mlx5_ib module
linuxPrevent loading of the vulnerable RDMA driver if not required
echo 'blacklist mlx5_ib' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-mlx5_ib.conf
rmmod mlx5_ib
Disable RDMA services
linuxStop RDMA services if not needed
systemctl stop rdma.service
systemctl disable rdma.service
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Avoid unnecessary RDMA device registration/deregistration cycles
- Implement strict access controls to prevent unauthorized users from triggering RDMA operations
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and if mlx5_ib module is loaded: uname -r && lsmod | grep mlx5_ibCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version is updated and check git commit contains the fix: grep -r 'MLX5_IB_STAGE_DEVICE_NOTIFIER' /usr/src/linux-headers-$(uname -r)/📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic messages mentioning 'pkey_change_handler [mlx5_ib]'
- NULL pointer dereference in mlx5_ib module
- System crash/reboot logs
Network Indicators:
- Unusual RDMA connection/disconnection patterns
SIEM Query:
event_source="kernel" AND (message CONTAINS "mlx5_ib" OR message CONTAINS "pkey_change_handler" OR message CONTAINS "NULL pointer dereference")