CVE-2022-49102
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the habanalabs driver of the Linux kernel. If exploited, it could lead to kernel memory exhaustion over time, potentially causing system instability or denial of service. This affects Linux systems using habanalabs hardware acceleration drivers.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with habanalabs driver
📦 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Sustained exploitation could exhaust kernel memory, leading to system crashes, denial of service, or kernel panics requiring system reboot.
Likely Case
Gradual memory consumption over time causing system performance degradation, potentially leading to application failures or system instability.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper monitoring and memory limits in place; may cause occasional performance issues but not system-wide failure.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires ability to trigger the vulnerable code path in the habanalabs driver, which typically requires appropriate hardware and driver usage permissions.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Multiple stable kernel versions with commits: 12e49aefda2e04b07604f13e03f40027cbeb0dc6, 30058d3a83cfe8c6aacbfe5ab13c01dd0c1799e3, 6d421fb7a9eddd8ce0a05641a3db97283fe20699, eb85eec858c1a5c11d3a0bff403f6440b05b40dc
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/12e49aefda2e04b07604f13e03f40027cbeb0dc6
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to patched version. 2. Rebuild kernel if compiling from source. 3. Reboot system to load new kernel. 4. Verify habanalabs driver loads correctly.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable habanalabs driver
linuxPrevent loading of vulnerable habanalabs driver module
echo 'blacklist habanalabs' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod habanalabs
Limit memory usage
linuxSet kernel memory limits to mitigate impact of memory leak
sysctl -w vm.overcommit_memory=2
sysctl -w vm.overcommit_ratio=50
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor kernel memory usage closely for abnormal increases
- Restrict access to habanalabs hardware to trusted users only
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and habanalabs driver status: uname -r && lsmod | grep habanalabsCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version is patched and habanalabs driver loads without errors in dmesg📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel OOM (Out of Memory) messages in dmesg
- Increasing kernel memory usage in /proc/meminfo
- habanalabs driver error messages
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local memory management issue
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("out of memory" OR "kernel panic" OR "habanalabs")