CVE-2024-39506: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: liquidio: Adjust a NULL pointer handling path in lio_vf_rep_copy_packet In lio_vf_rep

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: liquidio: Adjust a NULL pointer handling path in lio_vf_rep_copy_packet In lio_vf_rep_copy

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: liquidio: Adjust a NULL pointer handling path in lio_vf_rep_copy_packet In lio_vf_rep_copy_packet() pg_info->page is compared to a NULL value, but then it is unconditionally passed to skb_add_rx_frag() which looks strange and could lead to null pointer dereference. lio_vf_rep_copy_packet() call trace looks like: octeon_droq_process_packets octeon_droq_fast_process_packets octeon_droq_dispatch_pkt octeon_create_recv_info ...search in the dispatch_list... ->disp_fn(rdisp->rinfo, ...) lio_vf_rep_pkt_recv(struct octeon_recv_info *recv_info, ...) In this path there is no code which sets pg_info->page to NULL. So this check looks unneeded and doesn't solve potential problem. But I guess the author had reason to add a check and I have no such card and can't do real test. In addition, the code in the function liquidio_push_packet() in liquidio/lio_core.c does exactly the same. Based on this, I consider the most acceptable compromise solution to adjust this issue by moving skb_add_rx_frag() into conditional scope. Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with SVACE.

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

What it means for a small business

Linux is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.29%, higher than 21% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

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Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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