CVE-2024-35846: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm: zswap: fix shrinker NULL crash with cgroup_disable=memory Christian reports ...

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm: zswap: fix shrinker NULL crash with cgroup_disable=memory Christian reports a NULL deref in zswap that he bisected down to the zswap shrinker. The issue also cropped up in the bug trackers of libguestfs [1] and the Red Hat bugzilla [2]. The problem is that when memcg is disabled with the boot time flag, the zswap shrinker might get called with sc->memcg == NULL. This is okay in many places, like the lruvec operations. But it crashes in memcg_page_state() - which is only used due to the non-node accounting of cgroup's the zswap memory to begin with. Nhat spotted that the memcg can be NULL in the memcg-disabled case, and I was then able to reproduce the crash locally as well. [1] https://github.com/libguestfs/libguestfs/issues/139 [2] https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2275252

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.5/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.19%

8.8th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-476

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions	Update
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.8, < 6.8.9	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	6.9	Rc1

References

Timeline

Published: May 17, 2024
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-35846?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm: zswap: fix shrinker NULL crash with cgroup_disable=memory Christian reports a NULL deref in zswap that he bisected down to the zswap shrinker. The issue also cropped up in the bug trackers of libguestfs [1] and the Red Hat bugzilla [2]. The problem is that when memcg is disabled with the boot time flag, the zswap shrinker might get called with sc->memcg == NULL. This is okay in many places, like the lruvec operations. But it crashes in memcg_page_state() - which is only used due to the non-node accounting of cgroup's the zswap memory to begin with. Nhat spotted that the memcg can be NULL in the memcg-disabled case, and I was then able to reproduce the crash locally as well. [1] https://github.com/libguestfs/libguestfs/issues/139 [2] https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2275252

How severe is CVE-2024-35846?

CVE-2024-35846 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.19% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2024-35846?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.