CVE-2024-56578 – A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-56578?

CVE-2024-56578 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's imx-jpeg media driver could cause kernel oops (crashes) when accessing video device data. This affects systems using the i.MX JPEG hardware acceleration driver. The vulnerability occurs when the video device is registered before setting driver data, leading to potential NULL pointer access.

📋 TL;DR

A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's imx-jpeg media driver could cause kernel oops (crashes) when accessing video device data. This affects systems using the i.MX JPEG hardware acceleration driver. The vulnerability occurs when the video device is registered before setting driver data, leading to potential NULL pointer access.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with imx-jpeg driver

Versions: Linux kernel versions before the fix commits (specific versions vary by distribution)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ✅ No

Notes: Only vulnerable if the imx-jpeg driver is loaded and being used. Systems without i.MX hardware or without the driver loaded 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 →

⚠️ 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 applications attempt to access the affected video device, resulting in denial of service.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact if the vulnerable driver is not loaded or not being used by applications.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This is a local kernel driver vulnerability requiring local access or compromised user account.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Could be exploited by malicious local users or through privilege escalation chains to cause system instability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires local access and ability to trigger the vulnerable code path through video device operations.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions containing the fix commits: 5ade59d28eade49194eb09765afdeb0ba717c39a and related stable backports

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5ade59d28eade49194eb09765afdeb0ba717c39a

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix. 2. For distributions: Use package manager to update kernel package. 3. Reboot system to load patched kernel.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable imx-jpeg driver

linux

Prevent loading of the vulnerable driver module

echo 'blacklist imx_jpeg' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-imx-jpeg.conf
rmmod imx_jpeg

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Ensure the imx-jpeg driver is not loaded (check with lsmod)
Restrict access to video devices and monitor for crash logs

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if imx-jpeg driver is loaded: lsmod | grep imx_jpeg. If loaded, check kernel version against patched versions.

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version includes fix commits and test video device functionality

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel oops messages in dmesg or /var/log/kern.log
NULL pointer dereference errors
System crash logs

Network Indicators:

None - local vulnerability only

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("NULL pointer dereference" OR "oops" OR "imx_jpeg")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-56578

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: December 27, 2024

Last Updated: November 3, 2025

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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