CVE-2022-48722 – This vulnerability in the Linux kernel's IEEE 8... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2022-48722?

CVE-2022-48722 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This vulnerability in the Linux kernel's IEEE 802.15.4 ca8210 driver causes memory leaks when network transmission errors occur. The driver fails to properly free socket buffer (skb) structures, leading to gradual memory exhaustion. Systems using this wireless personal area network driver are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel's IEEE 802.15.4 ca8210 driver causes memory leaks when network transmission errors occur. The driver fails to properly free socket buffer (skb) structures, leading to gradual memory exhaustion. Systems using this wireless personal area network driver are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with ca8210 IEEE 802.15.4 driver

Versions: Linux kernel versions before the fix commits (specific versions vary by distribution)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ✅ No

Notes: Only vulnerable if the ca8210 driver is loaded and IEEE 802.15.4 wireless interfaces are in use.

📦 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...

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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 →

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 →

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

Sustained exploitation could lead to kernel memory exhaustion, causing system instability, denial of service, or potential kernel crashes.

🟠

Likely Case

Gradual memory consumption over time leading to performance degradation and eventual system instability requiring reboots.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact with proper memory monitoring and system maintenance practices in place.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires specific hardware and driver usage, not typically internet-facing.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Affects systems using IEEE 802.15.4 wireless interfaces internally.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: NO

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires ability to trigger network transmission errors on affected interfaces.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Linux kernel with commits 21feb6df3967541931242c427fe0958276af81cc or later

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/21feb6df3967541931242c427fe0958276af81cc

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Check distribution-specific security advisories. 3. Reboot system after kernel update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable ca8210 driver

linux

Prevent loading of the vulnerable driver module

echo 'blacklist ca8210' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod ca8210

Disable IEEE 802.15.4 interfaces

linux

Disable affected wireless interfaces if not required

ip link set dev <interface> down

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Monitor system memory usage and implement alerting for abnormal consumption
Implement regular system reboots to clear accumulated memory leaks

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if ca8210 module is loaded: lsmod | grep ca8210 AND check kernel version against distribution security advisories

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version includes fix commits: grep -r '21feb6df3967541931242c427fe0958276af81cc' /boot/System.map*

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel oom-killer messages
Memory allocation failures in dmesg
System performance degradation logs

Network Indicators:

IEEE 802.15.4 interface errors
Increased packet loss on affected interfaces

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("out of memory" OR "oom-killer" OR "ca8210")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2022-48722

CVSS v3 Score: 5.5 (MEDIUM)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CWE: CWE-401

Published: June 20, 2024

Last Updated: September 17, 2025

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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