CVE-2024-40906

Host crash via unstopped mlx5 health timer

Published Jul 12, 2024 · Updated May 11, 2026

Use-after-free in the Linux kernel mlx5 driver allows local users to crash the host after a failed HCA teardown during driver removal. When teardown_hca fails, mlx5 frees driver resources without stopping its health timer, whose later callback dereferences released memory. The failure path requires mlx5 driver removal and a TEARDOWN_HCA timeout; published evidence demonstrates a page-fault Oops, not data disclosure or modification.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.30%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Use-after-free in the Linux kernel mlx5 driver allows local users to crash the host after a failed HCA teardown during driver removal. When teardown_hca fails, mlx5 frees driver resources without stopping its health timer, whose later callback dereferences released memory. The failure path requires mlx5 driver removal and a TEARDOWN_HCA timeout; published evidence demonstrates a page-fault Oops, not data disclosure or modification.

The record

CVE
CVE-2024-40906
Published
Jul 12, 2024
Updated
May 11, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-416, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 12, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. 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?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=6.1
  2. Affected versionversion=9b98d395b85dd042fe83fb696b1ac02e6c93a520 <6ccada6ffb42e0ac75e3db06d41baf5a7f483f8a
  3. Affected versionversion=9b98d395b85dd042fe83fb696b1ac02e6c93a520 <c8b3f38d2dae0397944814d691a419c451f9906f
  4. Affected versionversion=9b98d395b85dd042fe83fb696b1ac02e6c93a520 <e6777ae0bf6fd5bc626bb051c8c93e3c8198a3f8
  5. Affected versionversion=9b98d395b85dd042fe83fb696b1ac02e6c93a520 <e7d4485d47839f4d1284592ae242c4e65b2810a9

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=6.1; version=9b98d395b85dd042fe83fb696b1ac02e6c93a520 <6ccada6ffb42e0ac75e3db06d41baf5a7f483f8a; version=9b98d395b85dd042fe83fb696b1ac02e6c93a520 <c8b3f38d2dae0397944814d691a419c451f9906f; version=9b98d395b85dd042fe83fb696b1ac02e6c93a520 <e6777ae0bf6fd5bc626bb051c8c93e3c8198a3f8; version=9b98d395b85dd042fe83fb696b1ac02e6c93a520 <e7d4485d47839f4d1284592ae242c4e65b2810a9

Published CVSS scores

7.8NISTCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-416Use After Free
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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