Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2022-49695 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 c12a2c9b1b460ed72e6b3c33aac1ef51b0329b66, 2af944210dc23d43d8208dafac4df7be7e3c168b, 68a0ed06dcd5d3ea732d011c0b83d66e4791f521 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 0.29% 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 c12a2c9b1b460ed72e6b3c33aac1ef51b0329b66 or 2af944210dc23d43d8208dafac4df7be7e3c168b or 68a0ed06dcd5d3ea732d011c0b83d66e4791f521 or 3f6a57ee8544ec3982f8a3cbcbf4aea7d47eb9ec, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 5.10.127 or 5.15.51 or 5.18.8, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 9cbc948b5a20c9c054d9631099c0426c16da546b up to, but not including, c12a2c9b1b460ed72e6b3c33aac1ef51b0329b66; 9cbc948b5a20c9c054d9631099c0426c16da546b up to, but not including, 2af944210dc23d43d8208dafac4df7be7e3c168b; 9cbc948b5a20c9c054d9631099c0426c16da546b up to, but not including, 68a0ed06dcd5d3ea732d011c0b83d66e4791f521; 9cbc948b5a20c9c054d9631099c0426c16da546b up to, but not including, 3f6a57ee8544ec3982f8a3cbcbf4aea7d47eb9ec; 5.10 | c12a2c9b1b460ed72e6b3c33aac1ef51b0329b66, 2af944210dc23d43d8208dafac4df7be7e3c168b, 68a0ed06dcd5d3ea732d011c0b83d66e4791f521, 3f6a57ee8544ec3982f8a3cbcbf4aea7d47eb9ec |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 5.10 up to, but not including, 5.10.127; 5.11 up to, but not including, 5.15.51; 5.16 up to, but not including, 5.18.8; 5.19 | 5.10.127, 5.15.51, 5.18.8 |
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: igb: fix a use-after-free issue in igb_clean_tx_ring Fix the following use-after-free bug in igb_clean_tx_ring routine when the NIC is running in XDP mode. The issue can be triggered redirecting traffic into the igb NIC and then closing the device while the traffic is flowing. [ 73.322719] CPU: 1 PID: 487 Comm: xdp_redirect Not tainted 5.18.3-apu2 #9 [ 73.330639] Hardware name: PC Engines APU2/APU2, BIOS 4.0.7 02/28/2017 [ 73.337434] RIP: 0010:refcount_warn_saturate+0xa7/0xf0 [ 73.362283] RSP: 0018:ffffc9000081f798 EFLAGS: 00010282 [ 73.367761] RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffffc90000420f80 RCX: 0000000000000000 [ 73.375200] RDX: ffff88811ad22d00 RSI: ffff88811ad171e0 RDI: ffff88811ad171e0 [ 73.382590] RBP: 0000000000000900 R08: ffffffff82298f28 R09: 0000000000000058 [ 73.390008] R10: 0000000000000219 R11: ffffffff82280f40 R12: 0000000000000090 [ 73.397356] R13: ffff888102343a40 R14: ffff88810359e0e4 R15: 0000000000000000 [ 73.404806] FS: 00007ff38d31d740(0000) GS:ffff88811ad00000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 [ 73.413129] CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 [ 73.419096] CR2: 000055cff35f13f8 CR3: 0000000106391000 CR4: 00000000000406e0 [ 73.426565] Call Trace: [ 73.429087] <TASK> [ 73.431314] igb_clean_tx_ring+0x43/0x140 [igb] [ 73.436002] igb_down+0x1d7/0x220 [igb] [ 73.439974] __igb_close+0x3c/0x120 [igb] [ 73.444118] igb_xdp+0x10c/0x150 [igb] [ 73.447983] ? igb_pci_sriov_configure+0x70/0x70 [igb] [ 73.453362] dev_xdp_install+0xda/0x110 [ 73.457371] dev_xdp_attach+0x1da/0x550 [ 73.461369] do_setlink+0xfd0/0x10f0 [ 73.465166] ? __nla_validate_parse+0x89/0xc70 [ 73.469714] rtnl_setlink+0x11a/0x1e0 [ 73.473547] rtnetlink_rcv_msg+0x145/0x3d0 [ 73.477709] ? rtnl_calcit.isra.0+0x130/0x130 [ 73.482258] netlink_rcv_skb+0x8d/0x110 [ 73.486229] netlink_unicast+0x230/0x340 [ 73.490317] netlink_sendmsg+0x215/0x470 [ 73.494395] __sys_sendto+0x179/0x190 [ 73.498268] ? move_addr_to_user+0x37/0x70 [ 73.502547] ? __sys_getsockname+0x84/0xe0 [ 73.506853] ? netlink_setsockopt+0x1c1/0x4a0 [ 73.511349] ? __sys_setsockopt+0xc8/0x1d0 [ 73.515636] __x64_sys_sendto+0x20/0x30 [ 73.519603] do_syscall_64+0x3b/0x80 [ 73.523399] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae [ 73.528712] RIP: 0033:0x7ff38d41f20c [ 73.551866] RSP: 002b:00007fff3b945a68 EFLAGS: 00000246 ORIG_RAX: 000000000000002c [ 73.559640] RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: 00007ff38d41f20c [ 73.567066] RDX: 0000000000000034 RSI: 00007fff3b945b30 RDI: 0000000000000003 [ 73.574457] RBP: 0000000000000003 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000000 [ 73.581852] R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000246 R12: 00007fff3b945ab0 [ 73.589179] R13: 0000000000000000 R14: 0000000000000003 R15: 00007fff3b945b30 [ 73.596545] </TASK> [ 73.598842] ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]---
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: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities
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