Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2022-49980 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 f44b0b95d50fffeca036e1ba36770390e0b519dd, 2191c00855b03aa59c20e698be713d952d51fc18 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.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Linux to f44b0b95d50fffeca036e1ba36770390e0b519dd or 2191c00855b03aa59c20e698be713d952d51fc18, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 5.19.7 or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 2ccea03a8f7ec93641791f2760d7cdc6cab6205f up to, but not including, f44b0b95d50fffeca036e1ba36770390e0b519dd; 2ccea03a8f7ec93641791f2760d7cdc6cab6205f up to, but not including, 2191c00855b03aa59c20e698be713d952d51fc18; 3.1 | f44b0b95d50fffeca036e1ba36770390e0b519dd, 2191c00855b03aa59c20e698be713d952d51fc18 |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | before 5.19.7 | 5.19.7 |
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.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: USB: gadget: Fix use-after-free Read in usb_udc_uevent() The syzbot fuzzer found a race between uevent callbacks and gadget driver unregistration that can cause a use-after-free bug: --------------------------------------------------------------- BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in usb_udc_uevent+0x11f/0x130 drivers/usb/gadget/udc/core.c:1732 Read of size 8 at addr ffff888078ce2050 by task udevd/2968 CPU: 1 PID: 2968 Comm: udevd Not tainted 5.19.0-rc4-next-20220628-syzkaller #0 Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 06/29/2022 Call Trace: <TASK> __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:88 [inline] dump_stack_lvl+0xcd/0x134 lib/dump_stack.c:106 print_address_description mm/kasan/report.c:317 [inline] print_report.cold+0x2ba/0x719 mm/kasan/report.c:433 kasan_report+0xbe/0x1f0 mm/kasan/report.c:495 usb_udc_uevent+0x11f/0x130 drivers/usb/gadget/udc/core.c:1732 dev_uevent+0x290/0x770 drivers/base/core.c:2424 --------------------------------------------------------------- The bug occurs because usb_udc_uevent() dereferences udc->driver but does so without acquiring the udc_lock mutex, which protects this field. If the gadget driver is unbound from the udc concurrently with uevent processing, the driver structure may be accessed after it has been deallocated. To prevent the race, we make sure that the routine holds the mutex around the racing accesses.
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.
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
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