CVE-2022-49019 – This CVE describes a NULL pointer dereference v... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2022-49019?

CVE-2022-49019 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This CVE describes a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's nixge network driver. If the driver fails to allocate memory for receive buffer descriptors during initialization, a subsequent cleanup function could dereference a NULL pointer, causing a kernel panic. This affects systems using the nixge network driver, typically embedded or specialized hardware.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's nixge network driver. If the driver fails to allocate memory for receive buffer descriptors during initialization, a subsequent cleanup function could dereference a NULL pointer, causing a kernel panic. This affects systems using the nixge network driver, typically embedded or specialized hardware.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with nixge network driver

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

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using vulnerable kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ✅ No

Notes: Only vulnerable if the nixge network driver is loaded and used. This is a specialized driver not present in most systems.

📦 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 →

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

Kernel panic leading to system crash and denial of service, potentially requiring physical access to reboot.

🟠

Likely Case

System crash or instability when the nixge driver fails to initialize properly, resulting in denial of service.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if the driver initializes successfully or if the system doesn't use the nixge driver.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This requires local access or specific driver usage, not typically exposed to internet.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Could affect internal systems using the vulnerable driver, causing service disruption.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: NO

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: HIGH

Exploitation requires triggering the specific memory allocation failure condition in the driver initialization, which is difficult to control remotely.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Fixed in kernel commits: 45752af0247589e6d3dede577415bfe117b4392c, 80e82f7b440b65cf131dce10f487dc73a7046e6b, 910c0264b64ef2dad8887714a7c56c93e39a0ed3, 9256db4e45e8b497b0e993cc3ed4ad08eb2389b6, 9c584d6d9cfb935dce8fc81a4c26debac0a3049b

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/45752af0247589e6d3dede577415bfe117b4392c

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Check with your distribution for specific patched kernel versions. 3. Reboot system after kernel update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable nixge driver

linux

Prevent loading of the vulnerable nixge network driver module

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

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Ensure systems have sufficient memory to prevent allocation failures during driver initialization
Monitor system logs for kernel panics or driver initialization failures

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if nixge driver is loaded: lsmod | grep nixge. Check kernel version: uname -r and compare with patched versions from your distribution.

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version is updated to patched version and nixge driver loads without errors in dmesg.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages in /var/log/messages or dmesg
NULL pointer dereference errors mentioning nixge_hw_dma_bd_release

Network Indicators:

Loss of network connectivity on interfaces using nixge driver

SIEM Query:

Search for kernel panic events or NULL pointer dereference errors in system logs

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2022-49019

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-476

Published: October 21, 2024

Last Updated: October 24, 2024

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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