Kernel crash via unchecked mailbox error pointer
Published Dec 29, 2024 · Updated Jun 1, 2026
Invalid pointer dereference in Linux 5.11 and later allows local users to crash the kernel through OcteonTX2 NIC flow operations. In otx2_alloc_mcam_entries() and otx2_mcam_entry_init(), otx2_flows.c dereferences responses from otx2_mbox_get_rsp() without first rejecting error pointers. Reachability requires local low-privilege access and a Marvell OcteonTX2 PF network interface exercising MCAM flow allocation; the demonstrated consequence is availability loss only.
Summary
What happened
Invalid pointer dereference in Linux 5.11 and later allows local users to crash the kernel through OcteonTX2 NIC flow operations. In otx2_alloc_mcam_entries() and otx2_mcam_entry_init(), otx2_flows.c dereferences responses from otx2_mbox_get_rsp() without first rejecting error pointers. Reachability requires local low-privilege access and a Marvell OcteonTX2 PF network interface exercising MCAM flow allocation; the demonstrated consequence is availability loss only.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-56727
- Published
- Dec 29, 2024
- Updated
- Jun 1, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-476, T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 29, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jun 1, 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=5.11
- Affected versionversion=f0a1913f8a6f947531c3042f9d6524946e661b57 <8c9f8b35dc3d4ad8053a72bc0c5a7843591f6b75
- Affected versionversion=f0a1913f8a6f947531c3042f9d6524946e661b57 <a479b3d7586e6f77f8337bbcac980eaf2d0a4029
- Affected versionversion=f0a1913f8a6f947531c3042f9d6524946e661b57 <bd3110bc102ab6292656b8118be819faa0de8dd0
- Affected versionversion=f0a1913f8a6f947531c3042f9d6524946e661b57 <c4eae7bac880edd88aaed6a8ec2997fa85e259c7
- Affected versionversion=f0a1913f8a6f947531c3042f9d6524946e661b57 <e3c4e78d636e6dbd8ed72e41b311de2bb7e0b699
- Affected versionversion=f0a1913f8a6f947531c3042f9d6524946e661b57 <e5e60f17d2462ef5c13db4d1a54eef5778fd2295
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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