Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2022-48960 is a high-severity use after free 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 179499e7a240b2ef590f05eb379c810c26bbc8a4, 8067cd244cea2c332f8326842fd10158fa2cb64f, 3a4eddd1cb023a71df4152fcc76092953e6fe95a 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 0.33% 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 179499e7a240b2ef590f05eb379c810c26bbc8a4 or 8067cd244cea2c332f8326842fd10158fa2cb64f or 3a4eddd1cb023a71df4152fcc76092953e6fe95a or 1b6360a093ab8969c91a30bb58b753282e2ced4c, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 4.9.336 or 4.14.302 or 4.19.269 or 5.4.227, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 57c5bc9ad7d799e9507ba6e993398d2c55f03fab up to, but not including, 179499e7a240b2ef590f05eb379c810c26bbc8a4; 57c5bc9ad7d799e9507ba6e993398d2c55f03fab up to, but not including, 8067cd244cea2c332f8326842fd10158fa2cb64f; 57c5bc9ad7d799e9507ba6e993398d2c55f03fab up to, but not including, 3a4eddd1cb023a71df4152fcc76092953e6fe95a; 57c5bc9ad7d799e9507ba6e993398d2c55f03fab up to, but not including, 1b6360a093ab8969c91a30bb58b753282e2ced4c; 57c5bc9ad7d799e9507ba6e993398d2c55f03fab up to, but not including, 93aaa4bb72e388f6a4887541fd3d18b84f1b5ddc; 57c5bc9ad7d799e9507ba6e993398d2c55f03fab up to, but not including, b8ce0e6f9f88a6bb49d291498377e61ea27a5387; 57c5bc9ad7d799e9507ba6e993398d2c55f03fab up to, but not including, b6307f7a2fc1c5407b6176f2af34a95214a8c262; 57c5bc9ad7d799e9507ba6e993398d2c55f03fab up to, but not including, 433c07a13f59856e4585e89e86b7d4cc59348fab; and 1 more ranges | 179499e7a240b2ef590f05eb379c810c26bbc8a4, 8067cd244cea2c332f8326842fd10158fa2cb64f, 3a4eddd1cb023a71df4152fcc76092953e6fe95a, 1b6360a093ab8969c91a30bb58b753282e2ced4c, 93aaa4bb72e388f6a4887541fd3d18b84f1b5ddc, b8ce0e6f9f88a6bb49d291498377e61ea27a5387 |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 3.16 up to, but not including, 4.9.336; 4.10 up to, but not including, 4.14.302; 4.15 up to, but not including, 4.19.269; 4.20 up to, but not including, 5.4.227; 5.5 up to, but not including, 5.10.159; 5.11 up to, but not including, 5.15.83; 5.16 up to, but not including, 6.0.13; 6.1 | 4.9.336, 4.14.302, 4.19.269, 5.4.227, 5.10.159, 5.15.83 |
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 system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 8.8 | High | CNA |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 | High | NVD |
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: hisilicon: Fix potential use-after-free in hix5hd2_rx() The skb is delivered to napi_gro_receive() which may free it, after calling this, dereferencing skb may trigger use-after-free.
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.
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
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/179499e7a240b2ef590f05eb379c810c26bbc8a4
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/1b6360a093ab8969c91a30bb58b753282e2ced4c
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/3a4eddd1cb023a71df4152fcc76092953e6fe95a
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/433c07a13f59856e4585e89e86b7d4cc59348fab
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/8067cd244cea2c332f8326842fd10158fa2cb64f
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/93aaa4bb72e388f6a4887541fd3d18b84f1b5ddc
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/b6307f7a2fc1c5407b6176f2af34a95214a8c262
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/b8ce0e6f9f88a6bb49d291498377e61ea27a5387
Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities
- 7.0 High severity
- 7.0 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
Spotted an error? Tell us.