CVE-2022-48885
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Intel Ethernet Connection Controller driver (ice) in the Linux kernel. When the ice_gnss_tty_write() function fails to allocate memory for write_buf, it returns without freeing previously allocated cmd_buf, causing a memory leak. This affects systems using Intel Ethernet controllers with the ice driver.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with Intel Ethernet Connection Controller driver (ice)
📦 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 →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
Memory leak gradually consumes kernel memory over time, potentially leading to performance degradation or system instability under heavy network load.
If Mitigated
With proper monitoring and memory limits, impact is limited to occasional memory pressure and potential performance issues.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires triggering the specific memory allocation failure path in ice_gnss_tty_write(), which may require specific conditions or repeated attempts.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Linux kernel versions containing fixes from commits 500ca1da9d0876244eb4d1b0ece6fa0e9968d45d and f58985620f55580a07d40062c4115d8c9cf6ae27
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/500ca1da9d0876244eb4d1b0ece6fa0e9968d45d
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix. 2. Reboot system to load patched kernel. 3. Verify ice driver version is updated.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable GNSS functionality
linuxDisable GNSS/TTY functionality in ice driver if not required
modprobe -r ice
modprobe ice gnss=0
Unload ice driver
linuxRemove ice driver if Intel Ethernet hardware not in use
modprobe -r ice
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement kernel memory monitoring and alerting for unusual memory consumption patterns
- Restrict local user access to systems with vulnerable driver
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and if ice driver is loaded: lsmod | grep ice && uname -rCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes fixes from referenced commits and ice driver is loaded from patched kernel📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel OOM (Out of Memory) messages
- System instability or crashes under network load
- Increasing kernel memory usage over time
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("out of memory" OR "oom" OR "ice" OR "gnss")