CVE-2024-57978 – This CVE describes a NULL pointer dereference v... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-57978?

CVE-2024-57978 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This CVE describes a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's imx-jpeg media driver. The issue occurs when the detach_pm() function attempts to check if a device is suspended without first verifying the pointer isn't an error pointer. This affects systems using the affected Linux kernel versions with the imx-jpeg driver loaded.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's imx-jpeg media driver. The issue occurs when the detach_pm() function attempts to check if a device is suspended without first verifying the pointer isn't an error pointer. This affects systems using the affected Linux kernel versions with the imx-jpeg driver loaded.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel

Versions: Specific affected versions not specified in CVE, but patches exist in stable kernel trees

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using vulnerable kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ✅ No

Notes: Only vulnerable if the imx-jpeg media driver is loaded and used. Many systems may not have this driver active.

📦 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 →

⚠️ 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 the specific error condition is triggered during device detachment operations.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if the vulnerable driver isn't loaded or the specific error condition doesn't occur.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This requires local access or ability to trigger specific kernel operations.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or processes could potentially trigger the condition leading to system instability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires ability to trigger the specific error condition in the driver, likely requiring local access or specific hardware interaction.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Patches available in stable kernel trees (commits referenced in CVE)

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1378ffec30367233152b7dbf4fa6a25ee98585d1

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update to a patched Linux kernel version from your distribution. 2. Reboot the system to load the new kernel. 3. Verify the imx-jpeg driver is using the patched code.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable imx-jpeg driver

linux

Prevent loading of the vulnerable driver module

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

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Ensure the imx-jpeg driver is not loaded if not required
Implement strict access controls to limit who can interact with media devices

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

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

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version is updated and check that the driver loads without issues during media operations.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages
NULL pointer dereference errors in kernel logs
System crash/reboot events

Network Indicators:

None - this is a local kernel vulnerability

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("NULL pointer dereference" OR "kernel panic" OR "Oops") AND process="imx-jpeg"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-57978

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: 0.05% exploit probability (13.7th percentile)

Published: February 27, 2025

Last Updated: November 3, 2025

🔗 References

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