Kernel crash via non-data media link traversal
Published Jul 5, 2024 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Denial of service in the Linux media controller allows local users to crash the kernel by starting a pipeline with an ancillary link. The media_pipeline_start graph walk follows every link as if it connected pads, so an ancillary link reaches invalid traversal state instead of being skipped. Exploitation requires local low-privilege access and a media topology containing the non-data link; the documented consequence is a kernel crash.
Summary
What happened
Denial of service in the Linux media controller allows local users to crash the kernel by starting a pipeline with an ancillary link. The media_pipeline_start graph walk follows every link as if it connected pads, so an ancillary link reaches invalid traversal state instead of being skipped. Exploitation requires local low-privilege access and a media topology containing the non-data link; the documented consequence is a kernel crash.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-39481
- Published
- Jul 5, 2024
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 5, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 5, 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?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=6.1
- Affected versionversion=ae219872834a32da88408a92a4b4745c11f5a7ce <788fd0f11e45ae8d3a8ebbd3452a6e83f92db376
- Affected versionversion=ae219872834a32da88408a92a4b4745c11f5a7ce <8a9d420149c477e7c97fbd6453704e4612bdd3fa
- Affected versionversion=ae219872834a32da88408a92a4b4745c11f5a7ce <bee9440bc0b6b3b7432f7bfde28656262a3484a2
- Affected versionversion=ae219872834a32da88408a92a4b4745c11f5a7ce <e80d9db99b7b6c697d8d952dfd25c3425cf61499
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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