CVE-2022-48898 – A race condition in the Linux kernel's DisplayP... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2022-48898?

CVE-2022-48898 has a CVSS score of 4.7 (MEDIUM). A race condition in the Linux kernel's DisplayPort AUX interrupt handler could cause premature completion of AUX read transactions, leading to corrupted EDID data during system boot. This affects systems using the MSM DP controller with eDP displays, potentially causing display initialization failures or incorrect display configurations.

📋 TL;DR

A race condition in the Linux kernel's DisplayPort AUX interrupt handler could cause premature completion of AUX read transactions, leading to corrupted EDID data during system boot. This affects systems using the MSM DP controller with eDP displays, potentially causing display initialization failures or incorrect display configurations.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with MSM DP controller support

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 Qualcomm MSM DP controller hardware and eDP displays. Requires specific hardware configuration to be vulnerable.

📦 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 →

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

Display corruption during boot causing system instability or failure to initialize display hardware properly, potentially requiring physical intervention.

🟠

Likely Case

EDID corruption during boot leading to incorrect display resolution/configuration or display initialization failures.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minor display initialization delays or no visible impact if system recovers from corrupted data.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This is a local hardware driver vulnerability requiring physical or local access to the affected display hardware.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Affects systems with specific display hardware during boot process, could impact workstation reliability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: NO

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: HIGH

Exploitation requires specific hardware configuration and timing conditions during system boot. Not practical for remote exploitation.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions containing commits: 1cba0d150fa102439114a91b3e215909efc9f169, 785607e5e6fb52caf141e4580de40405565f04f1, 984ad875db804948c86ca9e1c2e784ae8252715a, b7dcbca46db3c77fdb02c2a9d6239e5aa3b06a59

Vendor Advisory: https://patchwork.freedesktop.org/patch/516121/

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

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

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable affected display hardware

linux

Disable MSM DP controller or use alternative display output if available

echo 'blacklist msm' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
update-initramfs -u

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Use alternative display outputs (HDMI, VGA) instead of affected eDP ports
Implement monitoring for EDID corruption errors in system logs

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

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

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version contains fix commits: 'git log --oneline | grep -E "(1cba0d1|785607e|984ad87|b7dcbca)"'

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

EDID has corrupt header
Couldn't identify panel via EDID
panel-simple-dp-aux errors during boot

Network Indicators:

None - local hardware issue

SIEM Query:

kernel: *EDID*corrupt* OR kernel: *panel-simple-dp-aux*error*

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2022-48898

CVSS v3 Score: 4.7 (MEDIUM)

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

CWE: CWE-362

Published: August 21, 2024

Last Updated: September 11, 2024

🔗 References

📤 Share & Export

📄 Export Markdown 📋 Export JSON

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

If you're affected by CVE-2022-48898, you might also want to check these: