Linux: NULL Pointer Dereference
CVE-2022-48762 is a high-severity NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in Linux, 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. The record lists versions 47fe7a1c5e3e011eeb4ab79f2d54a794fdd1c3eb, 3758a6c74e08bdc15ccccd6872a6ad37d165239a as the first without the flaw, so updating Linux to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.19% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Linux to 47fe7a1c5e3e011eeb4ab79f2d54a794fdd1c3eb or 3758a6c74e08bdc15ccccd6872a6ad37d165239a, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 5.16.5 or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 753b32368705c396000f95f33c3b7018474e33ad up to, but not including, 47fe7a1c5e3e011eeb4ab79f2d54a794fdd1c3eb; 753b32368705c396000f95f33c3b7018474e33ad up to, but not including, 3758a6c74e08bdc15ccccd6872a6ad37d165239a; 5.16 | 47fe7a1c5e3e011eeb4ab79f2d54a794fdd1c3eb, 3758a6c74e08bdc15ccccd6872a6ad37d165239a |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 5.16 up to, but not including, 5.16.5; 5.17 | 5.16.5 |
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 CNA.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 | High | CNA |
| CVSS 3.1 | 6.2 | Medium | CISA (ADP) |
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: arm64: extable: fix load_unaligned_zeropad() reg indices In ex_handler_load_unaligned_zeropad() we erroneously extract the data and addr register indices from ex->type rather than ex->data. As ex->type will contain EX_TYPE_LOAD_UNALIGNED_ZEROPAD (i.e. 4): * We'll always treat X0 as the address register, since EX_DATA_REG_ADDR is extracted from bits [9:5]. Thus, we may attempt to dereference an arbitrary address as X0 may hold an arbitrary value. * We'll always treat X4 as the data register, since EX_DATA_REG_DATA is extracted from bits [4:0]. Thus we will corrupt X4 and cause arbitrary behaviour within load_unaligned_zeropad() and its caller. Fix this by extracting both values from ex->data as originally intended. On an MTE-enabled QEMU image we are hitting the following crash: Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 0000000000000000 Call trace: fixup_exception+0xc4/0x108 __do_kernel_fault+0x3c/0x268 do_tag_check_fault+0x3c/0x104 do_mem_abort+0x44/0xf4 el1_abort+0x40/0x64 el1h_64_sync_handler+0x60/0xa0 el1h_64_sync+0x7c/0x80 link_path_walk+0x150/0x344 path_openat+0xa0/0x7dc do_filp_open+0xb8/0x168 do_sys_openat2+0x88/0x17c __arm64_sys_openat+0x74/0xa0 invoke_syscall+0x48/0x148 el0_svc_common+0xb8/0xf8 do_el0_svc+0x28/0x88 el0_svc+0x24/0x84 el0t_64_sync_handler+0x88/0xec el0t_64_sync+0x1b4/0x1b8 Code: f8695a69 71007d1f 540000e0 927df12a (f940014a)
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: NULL Pointer Dereference
The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- For any pointers that could have been modified or provided from a function that can return NULL, check the pointer for NULL before use. When working with a multithreaded or otherwise asynchronous environment, ensure that proper locking APIs are used to lock before the check, and unlock when it has finished.
- Select a programming language that is not susceptible to these issues.
- Check the results of all functions that return a value and verify that the value is non-null before acting upon it.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Recent NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerabilities
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
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