CVE-2022-48896 – This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2022-48896?

CVE-2022-48896 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ixgbe network driver where PCI device reference counts aren't properly decremented. This can lead to resource exhaustion and potential denial of service on systems using affected Intel network adapters. The vulnerability affects Linux systems with specific kernel versions and Intel 10GbE network adapters.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ixgbe network driver where PCI device reference counts aren't properly decremented. This can lead to resource exhaustion and potential denial of service on systems using affected Intel network adapters. The vulnerability affects Linux systems with specific kernel versions and Intel 10GbE network adapters.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with ixgbe driver
Intel 82598/82599/X540/X550/X552 10GbE network adapters

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

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems with Intel 10GbE network adapters using the ixgbe driver; requires the specific driver functions to be called repeatedly.

📦 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 →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Sustained exploitation could exhaust kernel memory resources, leading to system instability, kernel panics, or complete denial of service requiring system reboot.

🟠

Likely Case

Gradual memory leak over time causing performance degradation, potential system instability, or service disruption requiring maintenance intervention.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact with proper monitoring and resource limits; may cause occasional performance issues but not system-wide failure.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This is a local kernel driver issue requiring local access; not directly exploitable over network.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Requires local access but could be exploited by malicious users or compromised applications on the system to cause denial of service.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires local access and ability to trigger the affected driver functions repeatedly; no known public exploits.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Linux kernel versions containing commits: 112df4cd2b09acd64bcd18f5ef83ba5d07b34bf0, 4c93422a54cd6a349988f42e1c6bf082cf4ea9d8, 53cefa802f070d46c0c518f4865be2c749818a18, b93fb4405fcb5112c5739c5349afb52ec7f15c07, c49996c6aa03590e4ef5add8772cb6068d99fd59

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/commit/?id=112df4cd2b09acd64bcd18f5ef83ba5d07b34bf0

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. For distributions: Use package manager (apt/yum/dnf) to update kernel package. 3. Reboot system to load new kernel.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable affected network adapters

linux

Temporarily disable Intel 10GbE network adapters if not critical

sudo ip link set dev [interface] down
sudo modprobe -r ixgbe

Monitor memory usage

linux

Implement monitoring for kernel memory leaks

watch -n 60 'cat /proc/meminfo | grep -E "Slab|KernelStack"'

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict access controls to limit local user privileges
Monitor system for abnormal memory consumption patterns and restart affected services when thresholds are exceeded

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and if ixgbe driver is loaded: 'uname -r' and 'lsmod | grep ixgbe'

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version is updated and contains fix commits: 'uname -r' and check distribution's changelog

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel oops messages
Out of memory errors in dmesg
System logs showing memory exhaustion

Network Indicators:

Network interface instability
Increased packet loss on affected interfaces

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("out of memory" OR "slab" OR "panic") AND ("ixgbe" OR "network")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2022-48896

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: August 21, 2024

Last Updated: September 11, 2024

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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