CVE-2024-26672 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in the Linux kernel's AMDGPU driver, specifically within the function amdgpu_mca_smu_get_mca_entry(). The flaw arises from the improper handling of a pointer variable 'mca_funcs', which is dereferenced before a NULL check is performed. The vulnerable code accesses members of 'mca_funcs' (such as max_ue_count and max_ce_count) prior to verifying whether 'mca_funcs' is non-NULL, leading to a potential NULL pointer dereference. This can cause a kernel crash or denial of service (DoS) due to kernel panic or oops. The vulnerability is located in the GPU driver subsystem (drm/amdgpu), which manages AMD graphics hardware on Linux systems. The CVSS v3.1 score is 7.1 (High), with the vector indicating local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring low privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), high confidentiality impact (C:H), no integrity impact (I:N), and high availability impact (A:H). The vulnerability does not appear to have known exploits in the wild yet. The root cause is a logic error in the code flow where the NULL check on 'mca_funcs' occurs too late, after dereferencing it, which can lead to kernel memory corruption or crash. This vulnerability affects Linux kernel versions containing the specified commit hashes, which correspond to recent kernel versions including the AMDGPU driver code. Since the AMDGPU driver is widely used in Linux distributions supporting AMD GPUs, this vulnerability has broad applicability to systems running Linux with AMD graphics hardware. Exploitation requires local access and some privileges but no user interaction, making it a concern for multi-user systems or environments where untrusted users have shell access. The impact is primarily denial of service and potential information disclosure due to kernel memory corruption, but no direct integrity compromise is indicated.

For European organizations, especially those relying on Linux servers or workstations equipped with AMD GPUs, this vulnerability poses a risk of local denial of service attacks that can disrupt critical services or workflows. Industries such as research institutions, media production, financial services, and cloud providers that utilize AMD GPU-accelerated Linux systems could experience system instability or downtime. The high confidentiality impact suggests potential exposure of sensitive kernel memory, which could lead to information leakage. Organizations with multi-tenant environments or shared access systems are particularly at risk since local users with limited privileges could trigger the vulnerability to cause system crashes or extract sensitive information. Given the prevalence of Linux in enterprise and government infrastructure across Europe, unpatched systems could face operational disruptions. Although exploitation requires local access, the lack of user interaction and low complexity means that insider threats or compromised accounts could leverage this flaw. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers often develop exploits post-disclosure.

European organizations should prioritize patching Linux kernel versions to the fixed releases that address CVE-2024-26672 as soon as they become available from their Linux distribution vendors. Until patches are applied, organizations should restrict local access to trusted users only, enforce strict privilege separation, and monitor for unusual kernel crashes or logs related to the AMDGPU driver. Employing kernel hardening techniques such as Kernel Address Space Layout Randomization (KASLR) and Kernel Page Table Isolation (KPTI) can reduce exploitation risk. Additionally, organizations should audit systems for AMD GPU presence and usage to identify at-risk hosts. In virtualized or containerized environments, isolating GPU resources and limiting user privileges can mitigate potential attack vectors. Security teams should update intrusion detection and prevention systems to recognize anomalous behavior related to this vulnerability. Regularly reviewing and applying vendor security advisories and maintaining an up-to-date asset inventory will help ensure timely remediation. Finally, educating system administrators about the risks of local privilege exploitation and enforcing strong authentication controls will reduce the likelihood of exploitation.