Kernel crash via SELinux mount error dereference
Published May 19, 2024 · Updated May 11, 2026
A NULL pointer dereference in SELinux initialization in Linux allows local users to crash the kernel after a selinuxfs mount failure. In init_sel_fs, kern_mount can return an error pointer, but the error path continues and dereferences selinux_null.mnt instead of returning the error. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and a failed internal selinuxfs mount during SELinux initialization; the documented consequence is availability loss only.
Summary
What happened
A NULL pointer dereference in SELinux initialization in Linux allows local users to crash the kernel after a selinuxfs mount failure. In init_sel_fs, kern_mount can return an error pointer, but the error path continues and dereferences selinux_null.mnt instead of returning the error. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and a failed internal selinuxfs mount during SELinux initialization; the documented consequence is availability loss only.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-35904
- Published
- May 19, 2024
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-476, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 19, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 11, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=0619f0f5e36f12e100ef294f5980cfe7c93ff23e <37801a36b4d68892ce807264f784d818f8d0d39b
- Affected versionversion=0619f0f5e36f12e100ef294f5980cfe7c93ff23e <477ed6789eb9f3f4d3568bb977f90c863c12724e
- Affected versionversion=0619f0f5e36f12e100ef294f5980cfe7c93ff23e <68784a5d01b8868ff85a7926676b6729715fff3c
- Affected versionversion=4.17
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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