# CVE-2024-50225: btrfs: fix error propagation of split bios

> A race condition in the Linux kernel's btrfs filesystem can cause a NULL pointer dereference, leading to a system crash.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:** 9 Nov 2024
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-53153, BELL-CVE-2024-50225, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-50225, GHSA-wv8w-2qgf-xxfj, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-50225

## What is CVE-2024-50225?

CVE-2024-50225 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 9 Nov 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:

btrfs: fix error propagation of split bios

The purpose of btrfs_bbio_propagate_error() shall be propagating an error
of split bio to its original btrfs_bio, and tell the error to the upper
layer. However, it's not working well on some cases.

* Case 1. Immediate (or quick) end_bio with an error

When btrfs sends btrfs_bio to mirrored devices, btrfs calls
btrfs_bio_end_io() when all the mirroring bios are completed. If that
btrfs_bio was split, it is from btrfs_clone_bioset and its end_io function
is btrfs_orig_write_end_io. For this case, btrfs_bbio_propagate_error()
accesses the orig_bbio's bio context to increase the error count.

That works well in most cases. However, if the end_io is called enough
fast, orig_bbio's (remaining part after split) bio context may not be
properly set at that time. Since the bio context is set when the orig_bbio
(the last btrfs_bio) is sent to devices, that might be too late for earlier
split btrfs_bio's completion.  That will result in NULL pointer
dereference.

That bug is easily reproducible by running btrfs/146 on zoned devices [1]
and it shows the following trace.

[1] You need raid-stripe-tree feature as it create "-d raid0 -m raid1" FS.

  BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000020
  #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode
  #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page
  PGD 0 P4D 0
  Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP PTI
  CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 13 Comm: kworker/u32:1 Not tainted 6.11.0-rc7-BTRFS-ZNS+ #474
  Hardware name: Bochs Bochs, BIOS Bochs 01/01/2011
  Workqueue: writeback wb_workfn (flush-btrfs-5)
  RIP: 0010:btrfs_bio_end_io+0xae/0xc0 [btrfs]
  BTRFS error (device dm-0): bdev /dev/mapper/error-test errs: wr 2, rd 0, flush 0, corrupt 0, gen 0
  RSP: 0018:ffffc9000006f248 EFLAGS: 00010246
  RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffff888005a7f080 RCX: ffffc9000006f1dc
  RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 000000000000000a RDI: ffff888005a7f080
  RBP: ffff888011dfc540 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000001
  R10: ffffffff82e508e0 R11: 0000000000000005 R12: ffff88800ddfbe58
  R13: ffff888005a7f080 R14: ffff888005a7f158 R15: ffff888005a7f158
  FS:  0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff88803ea80000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
  CS:  0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
  CR2: 0000000000000020 CR3: 0000000002e22006 CR4: 0000000000370ef0
  DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000
  DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400
  Call Trace:
   <TASK>
   ? __die_body.cold+0x19/0x26
   ? page_fault_oops+0x13e/0x2b0
   ? _printk+0x58/0x73
   ? do_user_addr_fault+0x5f/0x750
   ? exc_page_fault+0x76/0x240
   ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x22/0x30
   ? btrfs_bio_end_io+0xae/0xc0 [btrfs]
   ? btrfs_log_dev_io_error+0x7f/0x90 [btrfs]
   btrfs_orig_write_end_io+0x51/0x90 [btrfs]
   dm_submit_bio+0x5c2/0xa50 [dm_mod]
   ? find_held_lock+0x2b/0x80
   ? blk_try_enter_queue+0x90/0x1e0
   __submit_bio+0xe0/0x130
   ? ktime_get+0x10a/0x160
   ? lockdep_hardirqs_on+0x74/0x100
   submit_bio_noacct_nocheck+0x199/0x410
   btrfs_submit_bio+0x7d/0x150 [btrfs]
   btrfs_submit_chunk+0x1a1/0x6d0 [btrfs]
   ? lockdep_hardirqs_on+0x74/0x100
   ? __folio_start_writeback+0x10/0x2c0
   btrfs_submit_bbio+0x1c/0x40 [btrfs]
   submit_one_bio+0x44/0x60 [btrfs]
   submit_extent_folio+0x13f/0x330 [btrfs]
   ? btrfs_set_range_writeback+0xa3/0xd0 [btrfs]
   extent_writepage_io+0x18b/0x360 [btrfs]
   extent_write_locked_range+0x17c/0x340 [btrfs]
   ? __pfx_end_bbio_data_write+0x10/0x10 [btrfs]
   run_delalloc_cow+0x71/0xd0 [btrfs]
   btrfs_run_delalloc_range+0x176/0x500 [btrfs]
   ? find_lock_delalloc_range+0x119/0x260 [btrfs]
   writepage_delalloc+0x2ab/0x480 [btrfs]
   extent_write_cache_pages+0x236/0x7d0 [btrfs]
   btrfs_writepages+0x72/0x130 [btrfs]
   do_writepages+0xd4/0x240
   ? find_held_lock+0x2b/0x80
   ? wbc_attach_and_unlock_inode+0x12c/0x290
   ? wbc_attach_and_unlock_inode+0x12c/0x29
---truncated---

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-50225?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-50225?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-50225 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-50225 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-2024-50225 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-50225 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 9 Nov 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-2024-50225 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-2024-50225/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-50225/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-50225
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-50225
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-50225

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-50225/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.
