Kernel crash via uninitialized F2FS encryption context
Published Aug 17, 2024 · Updated May 11, 2026
NULL pointer dereference in affected Linux kernel F2FS builds allows local users to crash the kernel while mounting an F2FS volume. During a checkpoint-disabled mount, f2fs_iget reaches f2fs_truncate before fscrypt_file_open initializes inode.i_crypt_info, and a read bio dereferences the null context. The path requires low local privileges sufficient to initiate the mount, garbage collection, and an inode with preallocated blocks; successful triggering interrupts the host.
Summary
What happened
NULL pointer dereference in affected Linux kernel F2FS builds allows local users to crash the kernel while mounting an F2FS volume. During a checkpoint-disabled mount, f2fs_iget reaches f2fs_truncate before fscrypt_file_open initializes inode.i_crypt_info, and a read bio dereferences the null context. The path requires low local privileges sufficient to initiate the mount, garbage collection, and an inode with preallocated blocks; successful triggering interrupts the host.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-43859
- Published
- Aug 17, 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
- Aug 17, 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
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=5.17
- Affected versionversion=d4dd19ec1ea0cf6532d65709325c42b1398614a8 <298b1e4182d657c3e388adcc29477904e9600ed5
- Affected versionversion=d4dd19ec1ea0cf6532d65709325c42b1398614a8 <3ba0ae885215b325605ff7ebf6de12ac2adf204d
- Affected versionversion=d4dd19ec1ea0cf6532d65709325c42b1398614a8 <5f04969136db674f133781626e0b692c5f2bf2f0
- Affected versionversion=d4dd19ec1ea0cf6532d65709325c42b1398614a8 <f44a25a8bfe0c15d33244539696cd9119cf44d18
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
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
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo