# CVE-2024-47699: nilfs2: fix potential null-ptr-deref in nilfs_btree_insert()

> A local attacker with a corrupted filesystem image can trigger a null pointer dereference in the nilfs2 kernel module, causing a system crash.

- **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:** 21 Oct 2024
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-50842, AZL-50993, BELL-CVE-2024-47699, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-47699, GHSA-839p-pc8m-rw47, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-47699

## What is CVE-2024-47699?

CVE-2024-47699 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 21 Oct 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:

nilfs2: fix potential null-ptr-deref in nilfs_btree_insert()

Patch series "nilfs2: fix potential issues with empty b-tree nodes".

This series addresses three potential issues with empty b-tree nodes that
can occur with corrupted filesystem images, including one recently
discovered by syzbot.

This patch (of 3):

If a b-tree is broken on the device, and the b-tree height is greater than
2 (the level of the root node is greater than 1) even if the number of
child nodes of the b-tree root is 0, a NULL pointer dereference occurs in
nilfs_btree_prepare_insert(), which is called from nilfs_btree_insert().

This is because, when the number of child nodes of the b-tree root is 0,
nilfs_btree_do_lookup() does not set the block buffer head in any of
path[x].bp_bh, leaving it as the initial value of NULL, but if the level
of the b-tree root node is greater than 1, nilfs_btree_get_nonroot_node(),
which accesses the buffer memory of path[x].bp_bh, is called.

Fix this issue by adding a check to nilfs_btree_root_broken(), which
performs sanity checks when reading the root node from the device, to
detect this inconsistency.

Thanks to Lizhi Xu for trying to solve the bug and clarifying the cause
early on.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-47699?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-47699?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-47699 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-47699 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-2024-47699 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-47699 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 21 Oct 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-2024-47699 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-2024-47699/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-47699/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-47699
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-47699
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-47699

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-47699/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.