CVE-2022-49201
📋 TL;DR
A race condition vulnerability in the IBM Virtual Network Interface Controller (ibmvnic) driver in the Linux kernel allows a local attacker to cause a kernel crash (denial of service) by triggering network transmission during a device reset. This affects systems using the ibmvnic driver on IBM Power Systems with Linux kernels. The vulnerability requires local access to trigger.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel
📦 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
Kernel panic leading to system crash and denial of service, requiring physical or remote console access to reboot.
Likely Case
System crash requiring reboot, causing temporary service disruption.
If Mitigated
No impact if patched or if ibmvnic driver is not in use.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access and ability to generate network traffic during device reset events.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Fixed in kernel commits: 1bd58abf595b6cf1ba6dd47ec887c4c009155fc9, 4219196d1f662cb10a462eb9e076633a3fc31a15, 475f9cce98b63bc145b4efa66fa51175d4cb345f, 8507c6ade73cdbbbda5c3d31d67f52f2e1cf03fe
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1bd58abf595b6cf1ba6dd47ec887c4c009155fc9
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Check your distribution's security advisories for specific patched kernel versions. 3. Reboot system after kernel update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable ibmvnic driver
linuxPrevent loading of the vulnerable ibmvnic driver if not required
echo 'blacklist ibmvnic' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-ibmvnic.conf
update-initramfs -u
reboot
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict local user access to prevent malicious users from triggering the condition
- Monitor for system crashes and have recovery procedures ready
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if ibmvnic module is loaded: lsmod | grep ibmvnic. Check kernel version against patched versions for your distribution.Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes the fix commits. For RHEL/CentOS: rpm -q kernel --changelog | grep -i 'CVE-2022-49201'. For Ubuntu/Debian: check security advisory for kernel version.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic messages mentioning ibmvnic_xmit
- System crash/reboot logs
- NULL pointer dereference errors in kernel logs
Network Indicators:
- Sudden loss of network connectivity on ibmvnic interfaces
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("ibmvnic" OR "NULL pointer dereference" OR "Kernel panic")