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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2024-44960 Siemens CVE debrief

A null pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel USB gadget core. The flaw occurs when the endpoint descriptor is not properly set before accessing the maxpacket field, leading to a kernel panic. This can be triggered if a gadget driver fails to configure the endpoint for the current USB speed or if gadget descriptors are malformed such that the descriptor for the specific speed/endpoint combination is not found. While no known gadget drivers currently exhibit this behavior, the vulnerability poses a risk during development of new USB gadgets where improper endpoint setup or malformed descriptors may occur. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

Vendor
Siemens
Product
RUGGEDCOM RST2428P (6GK6242-6PA00)
CVSS
MEDIUM 5.5
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2025-08-12
Original CVE updated
2026-02-25
Advisory published
2025-08-12
Advisory updated
2026-02-25

Who should care

Organizations operating Siemens industrial networking equipment including RUGGEDCOM RST2428P and SCALANCE XC-300/XR-300/XC-400/XR-500WG/XR-500 family devices running SINEC OS. Developers creating custom USB gadget drivers for embedded Linux systems should also be aware of this hardening requirement. Industrial control system operators should monitor for vendor patches and follow CISA recommended practices for securing ICS environments.

Technical summary

The vulnerability exists in the USB gadget core of the Linux kernel. The code fails to verify that an endpoint descriptor has been set before dereferencing it to access the maxpacket field. This results in a null pointer dereference that can cause a kernel panic. The condition arises when: (1) a gadget driver does not properly configure the endpoint for the current USB speed, or (2) gadget descriptors are malformed and the descriptor lookup for the speed/endpoint combination fails. The fix adds a check for unset descriptors before accessing descriptor fields.

Defensive priority

medium

Recommended defensive actions

  • Apply vendor-provided firmware updates for affected Siemens industrial products when available
  • Review USB gadget driver implementations for proper endpoint descriptor initialization
  • Validate gadget descriptor configurations for all supported USB speeds during development
  • Monitor CISA ICS advisories for updated product-specific guidance
  • Implement defense-in-depth strategies for industrial control systems per CISA recommendations

Evidence notes

The vulnerability description indicates this is a defensive hardening fix in the Linux kernel USB gadget subsystem to prevent null pointer dereference panics. The CISA CSAF advisory ICSA-25-226-07, republished on 2026-02-25, references this CVE as affecting Siemens industrial products running SINEC OS. The threat category in the source is marked as 'Misinformed' for affected products. The source advisory underwent multiple revisions, with the most recent on 2026-02-25 clarifying affected configurations and removing rejected CVEs.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2024-44960 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-44960

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2024-44960 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-44960

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

  • Source item URL

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cisagov/CSAF/develop/csaf_files/OT/white/2025/icsa-25-226-07.json

    cisa_csaf

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/csaf/ssa-355557.json

    Reference

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-355557.html

    Reference

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-25-226-07

    Reference

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-alerts/ics-alert-10-301-01

    Reference

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/resources/ics-recommended-practices

    Reference

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/topics/industrial-control-systems

    Reference

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/recommended_practices/NCCIC_ICS-CERT_Defense_in_Depth_2016_S508C.pdf

    Reference

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.