# CVE-2024-41098: ata: libata-core: Fix null pointer dereference on error

> A null pointer dereference in the Linux kernel's libata driver can cause a system crash when port allocation fails.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 29 Jul 2024
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-47537, AZL-47562, BELL-CVE-2024-41098, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-41098, GHSA-cm3g-9rxc-2598, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-41098

## What is CVE-2024-41098?

CVE-2024-41098 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 29 Jul 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ata: libata-core: Fix null pointer dereference on error

If the ata_port_alloc() call in ata_host_alloc() fails,
ata_host_release() will get called.

However, the code in ata_host_release() tries to free ata_port struct
members unconditionally, which can lead to the following:

BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: 0000000000003990
PGD 0 P4D 0
Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP NOPTI
CPU: 10 PID: 594 Comm: (udev-worker) Not tainted 6.10.0-rc5 #44
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.16.3-2.fc40 04/01/2014
RIP: 0010:ata_host_release.cold+0x2f/0x6e [libata]
Code: e4 4d 63 f4 44 89 e2 48 c7 c6 90 ad 32 c0 48 c7 c7 d0 70 33 c0 49 83 c6 0e 41
RSP: 0018:ffffc90000ebb968 EFLAGS: 00010246
RAX: 0000000000000041 RBX: ffff88810fb52e78 RCX: 0000000000000000
RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: ffff88813b3218c0 RDI: ffff88813b3218c0
RBP: ffff88810fb52e40 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 6c65725f74736f68
R10: ffffc90000ebb738 R11: 73692033203a746e R12: 0000000000000004
R13: 0000000000000000 R14: 0000000000000011 R15: 0000000000000006
FS:  00007f6cc55b9980(0000) GS:ffff88813b300000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
CS:  0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
CR2: 0000000000003990 CR3: 00000001122a2000 CR4: 0000000000750ef0
PKRU: 55555554
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 ? __die_body.cold+0x19/0x27
 ? page_fault_oops+0x15a/0x2f0
 ? exc_page_fault+0x7e/0x180
 ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x26/0x30
 ? ata_host_release.cold+0x2f/0x6e [libata]
 ? ata_host_release.cold+0x2f/0x6e [libata]
 release_nodes+0x35/0xb0
 devres_release_group+0x113/0x140
 ata_host_alloc+0xed/0x120 [libata]
 ata_host_alloc_pinfo+0x14/0xa0 [libata]
 ahci_init_one+0x6c9/0xd20 [ahci]

Do not access ata_port struct members unconditionally.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-41098?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-41098?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-41098 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-41098 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-41098 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-41098 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 29 Jul 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-41098 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-41098/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-41098/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-41098
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-41098
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-41098

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-41098/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.