CVE-2022-49108
📋 TL;DR
A memory leak vulnerability in the MediaTek clock driver for Linux kernels allows attackers to cause resource exhaustion over time. This affects systems using MediaTek chipsets with vulnerable kernel versions. The vulnerability requires local access to exploit.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with MediaTek clock 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Sustained exploitation could lead to kernel memory exhaustion, causing system instability, crashes, or denial of service.
Likely Case
Local attackers could degrade system performance over time by repeatedly triggering the memory leak during device probe operations.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and monitoring, impact is limited to performance degradation rather than complete system compromise.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access and knowledge of how to trigger the vulnerable code path during device probe.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions with commits: 02742d1d5c95cff8b6e9379aae4ab12674f7265d, 7a688c91d3fd54c53e7a9edd6052cdae98dd99d8, c6a0b413398588fc2d8b174a79ea715b66413fca
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/02742d1d5c95cff8b6e9379aae4ab12674f7265d
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to patched version. 2. Reboot system. 3. Verify kernel version after reboot.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict local access
linuxLimit local user access to systems with vulnerable MediaTek hardware
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls to limit local user privileges
- Monitor system memory usage and kernel logs for signs of memory exhaustion
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and verify if MediaTek clock driver is loaded: lsmod | grep mtk-clkCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version is updated and check dmesg for any memory leak warnings related to MediaTek clock driver📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel memory allocation failures
- OOM killer activity
- System instability logs
Network Indicators:
- None - local vulnerability only
SIEM Query:
Search for kernel logs containing 'memory leak', 'MediaTek', 'clk', or 'OOM' events