CVE-2022-48703
📋 TL;DR
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's thermal/int340x_thermal driver allows local attackers to cause a kernel panic (denial of service) by triggering a specific condition where the GDDV returns a zero-length buffer. This affects systems using Intel thermal management with the int340x driver.
💻 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
Local attacker causes kernel panic leading to system crash and denial of service
Likely Case
System crash requiring reboot, causing temporary service disruption
If Mitigated
No impact if patched or workarounds applied
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access and ability to trigger specific thermal management conditions
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel commits: 39d5137085a6c37ace4680ee4d24020a4a03e7dc, 7931e28098a4c1a2a6802510b0cbe57546d2049d, dae42083b045a4ddf71c57cf350cb2412b5915c2
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/39d5137085a6c37ace4680ee4d24020a4a03e7dc
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update kernel to version containing fixes 2. Reboot system 3. Verify kernel version and patch status
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable int340x thermal driver
linuxTemporarily disable the vulnerable driver module
sudo modprobe -r int340x_thermal
Blacklist driver module
linuxPrevent driver from loading at boot
echo 'blacklist int340x_thermal' | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-int340x.conf
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict local user access to thermal management interfaces
- Implement kernel module signing to prevent unauthorized module loading
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and if int340x_thermal module is loaded: lsmod | grep int340x_thermalCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version contains fix commits and check dmesg for NULL pointer dereference errors📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- kernel NULL pointer dereference at address 0000000000000010
- BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference in thermal/int340x_thermal
Network Indicators:
- None - local vulnerability only
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND "NULL pointer dereference" AND "int340x"🔗 References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/39d5137085a6c37ace4680ee4d24020a4a03e7dc
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7931e28098a4c1a2a6802510b0cbe57546d2049d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dae42083b045a4ddf71c57cf350cb2412b5915c2
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7931e28098a4c1a2a6802510b0cbe57546d2049d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dae42083b045a4ddf71c57cf350cb2412b5915c2
