medium CVSS 5.5

CVE-2024-36969·Kernel vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/amd/display: Fix division by zero in setup_dsc_config When slice_height is 0, the division by slice_height in the calculation of the number of slices will cause a division by zero driver crash. This leaves the kernel in a state that requires a reboot. This patch adds a check to avoid the division by zero. The stack trace below is for the 6.8.4 Kernel. I reproduced the issue on a Z16 Gen 2 Lenovo Thinkpad with a Apple Studio Display monitor connected via Thunderbolt. The amdgpu driver crashed with this exception when I rebooted the system with the monitor connected. kernel: ? die (arch/x86/kernel/dumpstack.c:421 arch/x86/kernel/dumpstack.c:434 arch/x86/kernel/dumpstack.c:447) kernel: ? do_trap (arch/x86/kernel/traps.c:113 arch/x86/kernel/traps.c:154) kernel: ? setup_dsc_config (drivers/gpu/drm/amd/amdgpu/../display/dc/dsc/dc_dsc.c:1053) amdgpu kernel: ? do_error_trap (./arch/x86/include/asm/traps.h:58 arch/x86/kernel/traps.c:175) kernel: ? setup_dsc_config (drivers/gpu/drm/amd/amdgpu/../display/dc/dsc/dc_dsc.c:1053) amdgpu kernel: ? exc_divide_error (arch/x86/kernel/traps.c:194 (discriminator 2)) kernel: ? setup_dsc_config (drivers/gpu/drm/amd/amdgpu/../display/dc/dsc/dc_dsc.c:1053) amdgpu kernel: ? asm_exc_divide_error (./arch/x86/include/asm/idtentry.h:548) kernel: ? setup_dsc_config (drivers/gpu/drm/amd/amdgpu/../display/dc/dsc/dc_dsc.c:1053) amdgpu kernel: dc_dsc_compute_config (drivers/gpu/drm/amd/amdgpu/../display/dc/dsc/dc_dsc.c:1109) amdgpu After applying this patch, the driver no longer crashes when the monitor is connected and the system is rebooted. I believe this is the same issue reported for 3113.

Severity
medium
Software
Kernel
Fixed in
6.9.2
Published
2024-06-08

Affected versions

From: 6.9

Until: 6.9.2

Fixed in: 6.9.2

How to fix this CVE

Update your Linux kernel to version 6.9.2 or later to resolve a division-by-zero crash in AMD display driver configuration. This vulnerability can cause unexpected system crashes when specific display configurations are initialized, particularly with external monitors connected via Thunderbolt. Apply the kernel update through your distribution's package manager and reboot the system to activate the fix.

sudo dnf update kernel kernel-devel && sudo reboot

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Check current kernel version: uname -r | grep -E '^6\.(9\.[0-1]|[0-8])' (returns match if vulnerable)
  2. Verify AMD GPU driver is loaded: lsmod | grep -E 'amdgpu|radeon' (confirms exposed component)
  3. Search kernel logs for division errors: sudo journalctl -b | grep -i 'divide\|dsc_config\|amdgpu' (detects crash signatures)
  4. Confirm patched version after update: uname -r | grep -E '^6\.(9\.[2-9]|[1-9][0-9]\.)' (verifies fix is applied)

FAQ

What is CVE-2024-36969?

CVE-2024-36969 is a kernel vulnerability in AMD's display driver that causes a division-by-zero exception when configuring Display Stream Compression (DSC) with invalid slice height values. The crash leaves the system unresponsive and requires a reboot to recover.

Is CVE-2024-36969 being actively exploited?

No, this vulnerability is not currently listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and no public exploits are available. However, it can be triggered by unprivileged local users through specific display configuration scenarios.

What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2024-36969?

Linux kernel versions 6.9 through 6.9.2 are affected. The vulnerability was introduced and subsequently patched within this narrow release window.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2024-36969?

Run 'uname -r' to check your kernel version; if it returns 6.9, 6.9.1, or 6.9.2, you are vulnerable. Additionally, confirm AMD GPU support is active with 'lsmod | grep amdgpu'.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2024-36969?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If the Linux kernel package is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2024-36969 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

Related Kernel CVEs

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CVE-2026-64037CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: iwlwifi: mld: fix TSO segmentation explosion when AMSDU is disabled When the TLC notification disables AMSDU for a TID, the MLD driver sets max_tid_amsdu_len to the sentinel value 1. The TSO segmentation path in iwl_mld_tx_tso_segment() checks for zero but not for this sentinel, allowing it to reach the num_subframes calculation: num_subframes = (max_tid_amsdu_len + pad) / (subf_len + pad) = (1 + 2) / (1534 + 2) = 0 This zero propagates to iwl_tx_tso_segment() which sets: gso_size = num_subframes * mss = 0 Calling skb_gso_segment() with gso_size=0 creates over 32000 tiny segments from a single GSO skb. This floods the TX ring with ~1024 micro-frames (the rest are purged), creating a massive burst of TX completion events that can lead to memory corruption and a subsequent use-after-free in TCP's retransmit queue (refcount underflow in tcp_shifted_skb, NULL deref in tcp_rack_detect_loss). The MVM driver is immune because it checks mvmsta->amsdu_enabled before reaching the num_subframes calculation. The MLD driver has no equivalent bitmap check and relies solely on max_tid_amsdu_len, which does not catch the sentinel value. Fix this by detecting the sentinel value (max_tid_amsdu_len == 1) at the existing check and falling back to non-AMSDU TSO segmentation. Also add a WARN_ON_ONCE guard after the num_subframes division as defense-in-depth to catch any future code paths that produce zero through a different mechanism.
CVE-2026-100075CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: RDMA/srpt: Fix srpt_alloc_rw_ctxs() unwind counters When srpt_alloc_rw_ctxs() fails partway through a multi-buffer indirect descriptor, the unwind path destroys RDMA contexts but leaves stale n_rw_ctx and n_rdma values (and a dangling rw_ctxs pointer). Later sq_wr_avail accounting in srpt_queue_response() or srpt_write_pending() can then subtract the wrong number of send queue credits. Reset the counters and clear rw_ctxs after freeing the heap allocation before returning an error.
CVE-2026-64035CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: igc: set tx buffer type for SMD frames Sashiko pointed out that igc_fpe_init_smd_frame() initializes igc_tx_buffer fields for an SMD skb, but does not set the buffer type: https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/20260415025226.114115-1-kohei%40enjuk.jp Since igc_tx_buffer entries are reused, a stale XDP or XSK type can remain and make TX completion use the wrong cleanup path. Set the buffer type to IGC_TX_BUFFER_TYPE_SKB.
CVE-2026-64007CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: synproxy: refresh tcphdr after skb_ensure_writable synproxy_tstamp_adjust() rewrites the TCP timestamp option in place and then patches the TCP checksum via inet_proto_csum_replace4() on the caller-supplied tcphdr pointer. Both ipv4_synproxy_hook() and ipv6_synproxy_hook() obtain that pointer with skb_header_pointer() before calling in, so it may either alias skb->head directly or point at the caller's on-stack _tcph buffer. Between obtaining the pointer and using it, the function calls skb_ensure_writable(skb, optend), which on a cloned or non-linear skb invokes pskb_expand_head() and frees the old skb->head. After that point the cached th is stale: caller (ipv[46]_synproxy_hook) th = skb_header_pointer(skb, ..., &_tcph) synproxy_tstamp_adjust(skb, protoff, th, ...) skb_ensure_writable(skb, optend) pskb_expand_head() /* kfree(old skb->head) */ ... inet_proto_csum_replace4(&th->check, ...) /* writes into freed head, or into the caller's stack copy leaving the on-wire checksum stale */ The option bytes are written through skb->data and are fine; only the checksum update goes through th and so lands in the wrong place. The result is either a write into freed slab memory or a packet leaving with a checksum that does not match its payload. Fix by re-deriving th from skb->data + protoff immediately after skb_ensure_writable() succeeds, so the subsequent checksum update targets the linear, writable header.

References

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