CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2022-0646NVD status: Modified

Kernel: Use After Free

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2022-0646 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Kernel, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. Affected Kernel versions: 5.17-rc5. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.36% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Check which version of Kernel you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
KernelKernel5.17-rc5Not stated
LinuxLinux Kernel5.17Not stated
NetAppH410c FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
NetAppH300s FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
NetAppH500s FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
NetAppH700s FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
NetAppH300e FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
NetAppH500e FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
NetAppH700e FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated
NetAppH410s FirmwareNot specified in the recordNot stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
LowA basic user account is enough.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 3.17.8HighNVD
CVSS 2.07.2HighNVD

Official description

A flaw use after free in the Linux kernel Management Component Transport Protocol (MCTP) subsystem was found in the way user triggers cancel_work_sync after the unregister_netdev during removing device. A local user could use this flaw to crash the system or escalate their privileges on the system. It is actual from Linux Kernel 5.17-rc1 (when mctp-serial.c introduced) till 5.17-rc5.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Use After Free

The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory belongs to the code that operates on the new pointer.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Choose a language that provides automatic memory management.
  • When freeing pointers, be sure to set them to NULL once they are freed. However, the utilization of multiple or complex data structures may lower the usefulness of this strategy.

More Use After Free vulnerabilities (CWE-416)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Third-party and government advisories

Other vulnerabilities in Kernel

All Kernel vulnerabilities

Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities

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