CVE-2022-48657
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an integer overflow vulnerability in the Linux kernel's arm64 topology subsystem. The overflow occurs when converting CPU frequency values between kHz and Hz, potentially causing kernel instability or crashes. This affects Linux systems running on ARM64 architecture with specific kernel versions.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux Kernel
📦 What is this software?
Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Kernel panic leading to system crash and denial of service, potentially requiring physical access to reboot the system.
Likely Case
System instability, application crashes, or performance degradation when CPU frequency scaling operations trigger the vulnerable code path.
If Mitigated
Minor performance issues or no noticeable impact if the overflow doesn't trigger during normal operations.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access and specific conditions to trigger the integer overflow. No known public exploits exist.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Multiple stable kernel versions with fixes available (see git commits in references)
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c3edb82d67b2be9231174ac2af4af60d4af7549
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution's repositories. 2. For custom kernels, apply the fix from git.kernel.org stable branches. 3. Reboot system to load new kernel.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable CPU frequency scaling
linuxPrevents triggering the vulnerable code path by disabling dynamic CPU frequency adjustments
echo 'performance' | sudo tee /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor system logs for kernel panics or instability related to CPU frequency operations
- Restrict local user access to systems where possible to reduce attack surface
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and architecture: uname -r and uname -m. If ARM64 and using affected kernel version range, system may be vulnerable.Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version is updated to include the fix commits referenced in the CVE📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic messages
- CPU frequency scaling errors in dmesg
- System instability reports
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
Search for: 'kernel panic' OR 'BUG:' OR 'Oops:' in system logs on ARM64 hosts🔗 References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c3edb82d67b2be9231174ac2af4af60d4af7549
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/904f881b57360cf85de962d84d8614d94431f60e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bb6d99e27cbe6b30e4e3bbd32927fd3b0bdec6eb
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d4955c0ad77dbc684fc716387070ac24801b8bca
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c3edb82d67b2be9231174ac2af4af60d4af7549
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/904f881b57360cf85de962d84d8614d94431f60e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bb6d99e27cbe6b30e4e3bbd32927fd3b0bdec6eb
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d4955c0ad77dbc684fc716387070ac24801b8bca
