CVE-2024-56580 – A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the... (How to Fix)

📋 TL;DR

A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's CAMSS driver allows local attackers to cause a kernel panic and system crash. This affects Linux systems using Qualcomm Camera Subsystem drivers, particularly on ARM-based devices. The vulnerability requires local access to trigger.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with CONFIG_VIDEO_QCOM_CAMSS enabled

Versions: Linux kernel versions before commit 4f45d65b781499d2a79eca12155532739c876aa2

Operating Systems: Linux distributions with affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ✅ No

Notes: Only vulnerable if CAMSS driver is built and loaded, typically on Qualcomm ARM-based devices. Requires specific hardware configuration.

📦 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...

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⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Local denial of service causing kernel panic and system reboot, potentially leading to data loss or service disruption.

🟠

Likely Case

System crash requiring reboot when CAMSS driver initialization fails due to missing power domain registration.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if proper kernel hardening prevents local user access or if CAMSS driver is not loaded.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access to trigger, not remotely exploitable.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or processes could crash the system, affecting availability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: NO

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires local access and ability to trigger CAMSS driver probe with missing power domains. Simple to trigger but requires specific conditions.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Linux kernel commit 4f45d65b781499d2a79eca12155532739c876aa2

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4f45d65b781499d2a79eca12155532739c876aa2

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update to Linux kernel version containing commit 4f45d65b781499d2a79eca12155532739c876aa2
2. Rebuild kernel if compiling from source
3. Reboot system to load patched kernel

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable CAMSS driver

linux

Prevent loading of vulnerable driver module

echo 'blacklist qcom_camss' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod qcom_camss

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict local user access to prevent triggering the vulnerability
Ensure CAMSS power domains are properly registered before driver probe

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if CAMSS driver is loaded: lsmod | grep camss AND check kernel version against patched commit

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel contains commit: git log --oneline | grep '4f45d65b781499d2a79eca12155532739c876aa2'

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages mentioning 'dev_pm_domain_detach' or 'camss_probe'
NULL pointer dereference warnings in dmesg

Network Indicators:

None - local vulnerability only

SIEM Query:

kernel: "NULL pointer dereference" AND "camss" OR "dev_pm_domain_detach"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-56580

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: October 1, 2025

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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