CVE-2024-40951: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ocfs2: fix NULL pointer dereference in ocfs2_abort_trigger() bdev->bd

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ocfs2: fix NULL pointer dereference in ocfs2_abort_trigger() bdev->bd_super has been remov

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ocfs2: fix NULL pointer dereference in ocfs2_abort_trigger() bdev->bd_super has been removed and commit 8887b94d9322 change the usage from bdev->bd_super to b_assoc_map->host->i_sb. Since ocfs2 hasn't set bh->b_assoc_map, it will trigger NULL pointer dereference when calling into ocfs2_abort_trigger(). Actually this was pointed out in history, see commit 74e364ad1b13. But I've made a mistake when reviewing commit 8887b94d9322 and then re-introduce this regression. Since we cannot revive bdev in buffer head, so fix this issue by initializing all types of ocfs2 triggers when fill super, and then get the specific ocfs2 trigger from ocfs2_caching_info when access journal. [joseph.qi@linux.alibaba.com: v2]

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 0.24%, higher than 14% 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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