CVE-2024-50057 addresses a vulnerability in the Linux kernel's USB Type-C Power Delivery (PD) interface driver, specifically within the tipd (Type-C Interrupt Polling Daemon) component. The issue arises from improper handling of interrupt requests (IRQs) during the removal of the tps6598x driver, which manages a USB Type-C controller chip. The vulnerability is due to the kernel attempting to free an IRQ that was never requested in polling mode, leading to a kernel warning and potentially unstable behavior. The root cause is that devm_free_irq() is called unconditionally during driver removal, without verifying if the IRQ was actually allocated (i.e., client->irq is set). This can cause kernel warnings and may lead to resource mismanagement or undefined kernel states. The patch fixes this by ensuring devm_free_irq() is only called if the IRQ was previously requested, preventing the warning and stabilizing driver removal. The call trace indicates that the issue occurs during the module removal process, involving functions like tps6598x_remove, i2c_device_remove, and device_release_driver_internal. Although no known exploits are reported in the wild, the vulnerability could lead to kernel instability or denial of service if exploited, especially on systems using the affected USB Type-C controllers. The affected versions are specific Linux kernel commits identified by their hashes, indicating this is a recent and targeted fix. No CVSS score is assigned yet, and the vulnerability primarily impacts the kernel's interrupt handling logic in a specific driver context.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-50057 depends largely on their deployment of Linux systems utilizing the affected USB Type-C controllers (tps6598x) and kernel versions. Many enterprises, research institutions, and governmental bodies in Europe rely on Linux-based servers, workstations, and embedded devices. If these systems use the affected kernel versions and hardware, they could experience kernel warnings or instability during device driver removal or module unloading, potentially leading to system crashes or denial of service conditions. This could disrupt critical operations, especially in environments where USB Type-C devices are frequently connected or disconnected, such as in development labs, manufacturing, or IoT deployments. Although exploitation requires specific conditions and no active exploits are known, the risk of accidental system instability or targeted attacks exploiting this flaw exists. Additionally, the vulnerability could be leveraged in multi-tenant or shared environments to cause denial of service or escalate issues. The impact on confidentiality and integrity is minimal, as the vulnerability does not directly enable privilege escalation or data leakage, but availability could be affected due to kernel instability.

To mitigate CVE-2024-50057, European organizations should: 1) Apply the latest Linux kernel updates that include the patch fixing this vulnerability as soon as they become available, especially on systems using USB Type-C controllers managed by the tps6598x driver. 2) Audit and inventory Linux systems to identify those running affected kernel versions and hardware, prioritizing critical infrastructure and production environments. 3) Where immediate patching is not feasible, limit the unloading or removal of the tps6598x driver module and avoid frequent connect/disconnect cycles of USB Type-C devices that rely on this driver. 4) Implement kernel crash monitoring and alerting to detect any instability or warnings related to IRQ handling. 5) For embedded or IoT devices, coordinate with hardware vendors to receive firmware or kernel updates addressing this issue. 6) Consider deploying kernel hardening and integrity monitoring tools to detect anomalous behavior related to driver management. 7) Maintain robust backup and recovery procedures to minimize downtime in case of kernel crashes.