CVE-2022-49627
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's IMA (Integrity Measurement Architecture) subsystem. When the SHA1 cryptographic transformation fails to allocate during initialization, the kernel doesn't properly free allocated memory, potentially leading to resource exhaustion. This affects all Linux systems using IMA functionality.
💻 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 →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
Sustained exploitation could lead to kernel memory exhaustion, causing system instability, denial of service, or kernel panic.
Likely Case
Limited memory leak during boot or IMA initialization failures, potentially causing minor resource consumption but unlikely to be weaponized for privilege escalation.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact as the leak occurs only during specific initialization failure scenarios and requires IMA to be enabled.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access and ability to trigger specific IMA initialization failure conditions. Memory leak is small and difficult to weaponize.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Patched in stable kernel versions via provided git commits
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/067d2521874135267e681c19d42761c601d503d6
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update to patched kernel version from your distribution vendor
2. Reboot system after kernel update
3. Verify IMA functionality if used
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable IMA if not needed
linuxDisable Integrity Measurement Architecture if not required for your security policy
Add 'ima=off' to kernel boot parameters in GRUB configuration
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor system memory usage for unusual patterns
- Ensure IMA is disabled if not required for compliance
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and verify if IMA is enabled: cat /proc/cmdline | grep -i imaCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version is updated and check dmesg for IMA initialization errors📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel OOM (Out of Memory) messages
- IMA initialization failure logs in dmesg
- Unusual memory consumption patterns
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("IMA" OR "ima_init_crypto" OR "SHA1 allocation failed")