CVE-2022-50174
📋 TL;DR
A race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's hinic network driver causes a kernel hang when reading device statistics from a bond interface. This affects systems using Huawei Intelligent NIC (hinic) devices in bond configurations, potentially leading to denial of service.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with hinic 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 →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 and system crash requiring physical reboot, causing extended downtime for affected servers.
Likely Case
System hang or performance degradation when reading network statistics from bond interfaces containing hinic devices.
If Mitigated
Minor performance impact during statistics collection if proper kernel version is used.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires specific hardware configuration and access to read network statistics. More likely to be triggered accidentally by monitoring systems.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Linux kernel stable releases containing the fix commits
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3ba59bbe4f306bb6ee15753db0a40564c0eb7909
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify hinic driver is no longer using mgmt_lock in get_stats64 function.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Avoid bond configuration with hinic
linuxDo not configure hinic devices as bond slaves if possible
Disable statistics collection
linuxAvoid reading network statistics from bond interfaces containing hinic devices
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Avoid using hinic devices in bond configurations
- Implement monitoring to detect and alert on system hangs related to network statistics collection
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if system uses hinic devices in bond configuration and kernel version is before fixes. Run: lsmod | grep hinic && cat /proc/net/bonding/*Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Check kernel version includes fix commits or test reading bond interface statistics without system hang📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic messages mentioning softlockup or hung tasks
- System logs showing bond interface statistics collection failures
Network Indicators:
- Sudden loss of network connectivity on bond interfaces
- Monitoring system alerts for hung processes
SIEM Query:
event_source:kernel AND (message:"softlockup" OR message:"hung tasks") AND process:"hinic"🔗 References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3ba59bbe4f306bb6ee15753db0a40564c0eb7909
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/693f31dc91568e61047fd2980a8235e856cd9ce8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/98f9fcdee35add80505b6c73f72de5f750d5c03c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e74f3097a9c713ce855cda07713393bcc23a005d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fced5bce712122654ec8a20356342698cce104d2
