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CVE-2022-49082NVD status: Analyzed

Linux: Use After Free

CVE-2022-49082 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 25c1353dca74ad7cf3fd7ce258fe7c957a147d5e, 17d66b1c92bcb41e72271ec60069d3684aaa1c9c, 1bb8a7fc64d63ec818e367e1b37676ea2ef2d20c 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 0.25% 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. Update Linux to 25c1353dca74ad7cf3fd7ce258fe7c957a147d5e or 17d66b1c92bcb41e72271ec60069d3684aaa1c9c or 1bb8a7fc64d63ec818e367e1b37676ea2ef2d20c or 87d663d40801dffc99a5ad3b0188ad3e2b4d1557, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 5.15.34 or 5.16.20 or 5.17.3, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinux7d310f241001e090cf1ec0f3ae836b38d8c6ebec up to, but not including, 25c1353dca74ad7cf3fd7ce258fe7c957a147d5e; 7d310f241001e090cf1ec0f3ae836b38d8c6ebec up to, but not including, 17d66b1c92bcb41e72271ec60069d3684aaa1c9c; 7d310f241001e090cf1ec0f3ae836b38d8c6ebec up to, but not including, 1bb8a7fc64d63ec818e367e1b37676ea2ef2d20c; 7d310f241001e090cf1ec0f3ae836b38d8c6ebec up to, but not including, 87d663d40801dffc99a5ad3b0188ad3e2b4d1557; 5.1125c1353dca74ad7cf3fd7ce258fe7c957a147d5e, 17d66b1c92bcb41e72271ec60069d3684aaa1c9c, 1bb8a7fc64d63ec818e367e1b37676ea2ef2d20c, 87d663d40801dffc99a5ad3b0188ad3e2b4d1557
LinuxLinux Kernel5.11 up to, but not including, 5.15.34; 5.16 up to, but not including, 5.16.20; 5.17 up to, but not including, 5.17.3; 5.185.15.34, 5.16.20, 5.17.3

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 CISA (ADP).

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: scsi: mpt3sas: Fix use after free in _scsih_expander_node_remove() The function mpt3sas_transport_port_remove() called in _scsih_expander_node_remove() frees the port field of the sas_expander structure, leading to the following use-after-free splat from KASAN when the ioc_info() call following that function is executed (e.g. when doing rmmod of the driver module): [ 3479.371167] ================================================================== [ 3479.378496] BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in _scsih_expander_node_remove+0x710/0x750 [mpt3sas] [ 3479.386936] Read of size 1 at addr ffff8881c037691c by task rmmod/1531 [ 3479.393524] [ 3479.395035] CPU: 18 PID: 1531 Comm: rmmod Not tainted 5.17.0-rc8+ #1436 [ 3479.401712] Hardware name: Supermicro Super Server/H12SSL-NT, BIOS 2.1 06/02/2021 [ 3479.409263] Call Trace: [ 3479.411743] <TASK> [ 3479.413875] dump_stack_lvl+0x45/0x59 [ 3479.417582] print_address_description.constprop.0+0x1f/0x120 [ 3479.423389] ? _scsih_expander_node_remove+0x710/0x750 [mpt3sas] [ 3479.429469] kasan_report.cold+0x83/0xdf [ 3479.433438] ? _scsih_expander_node_remove+0x710/0x750 [mpt3sas] [ 3479.439514] _scsih_expander_node_remove+0x710/0x750 [mpt3sas] [ 3479.445411] ? _raw_spin_unlock_irqrestore+0x2d/0x40 [ 3479.452032] scsih_remove+0x525/0xc90 [mpt3sas] [ 3479.458212] ? mpt3sas_expander_remove+0x1d0/0x1d0 [mpt3sas] [ 3479.465529] ? down_write+0xde/0x150 [ 3479.470746] ? up_write+0x14d/0x460 [ 3479.475840] ? kernfs_find_ns+0x137/0x310 [ 3479.481438] pci_device_remove+0x65/0x110 [ 3479.487013] __device_release_driver+0x316/0x680 [ 3479.493180] driver_detach+0x1ec/0x2d0 [ 3479.498499] bus_remove_driver+0xe7/0x2d0 [ 3479.504081] pci_unregister_driver+0x26/0x250 [ 3479.510033] _mpt3sas_exit+0x2b/0x6cf [mpt3sas] [ 3479.516144] __x64_sys_delete_module+0x2fd/0x510 [ 3479.522315] ? free_module+0xaa0/0xaa0 [ 3479.527593] ? __cond_resched+0x1c/0x90 [ 3479.532951] ? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0x273/0x3e0 [ 3479.539607] ? syscall_enter_from_user_mode+0x21/0x70 [ 3479.546161] ? trace_hardirqs_on+0x1c/0x110 [ 3479.551828] do_syscall_64+0x35/0x80 [ 3479.556884] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae [ 3479.563402] RIP: 0033:0x7f1fc482483b ... [ 3479.943087] ================================================================== Fix this by introducing the local variable port_id to store the port ID value before executing mpt3sas_transport_port_remove(). This local variable is then used in the call to ioc_info() instead of dereferencing the freed port structure.

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. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities

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