CVE-2022-50330
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an integer overflow vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Cavium crypto driver when loading firmware. An attacker could exploit this by providing malicious firmware to cause memory corruption, potentially leading to denial of service or privilege escalation. Systems using affected Linux kernel versions with Cavium crypto hardware are vulnerable.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with Cavium crypto 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 →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, or potential privilege escalation if memory corruption can be controlled to execute arbitrary code.
Likely Case
Denial of service through kernel panic or system instability when loading malicious firmware.
If Mitigated
No impact if firmware loading is restricted to trusted sources and proper access controls are in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires ability to load firmware to the Cavium crypto driver, typically requiring local access or specific permissions. The integer overflow occurs during firmware loading and could lead to buffer overflow conditions.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Linux kernel versions containing the fix commits (e.g., 172c8a24fc8312cf6b88d3c88469653fdcb1c127 and related)
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/172c8a24fc8312cf6b88d3c88469653fdcb1c127
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to a version containing the fix commits. 2. For distributions: Use package manager to update kernel package. 3. Reboot system to load patched kernel.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict firmware loading
allLimit firmware loading to trusted sources and restrict write access to firmware directories
chmod 644 /lib/firmware/cavium/*
chown root:root /lib/firmware/cavium/*
Disable Cavium crypto module
allPrevent loading of vulnerable Cavium crypto driver if not required
echo 'blacklist cavium_crypto' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod cavium_crypto
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls on firmware directories to prevent unauthorized firmware uploads
- Monitor system logs for firmware loading attempts and kernel panic events
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and verify if Cavium crypto driver is loaded: 'lsmod | grep cavium' and 'uname -r'Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version is updated and check if the fix commit is present in kernel source: 'grep -r 'code_length.*ntohl' /usr/src/linux/drivers/crypto/cavium/'📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic messages
- Firmware loading errors in dmesg
- Cavium driver crash logs
Network Indicators:
- No network indicators - local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("panic" OR "cavium" OR "firmware load failed")🔗 References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/172c8a24fc8312cf6b88d3c88469653fdcb1c127
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2526d6bf27d15054bb0778b2f7bc6625fd934905
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/371fa5129af53a79f6dddc90fe5bb0825cbe72a4
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3a720eb89026c5241b8c4abb33370dc6fb565eee
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/584561e94260268abe1c83e00d9c205565cb7bc5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/90e483e7f20c32287d2a9da967e122938f52737a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c4d4c2afd08dfb3cd1c880d1811ede2568e81a6d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e29fd7a6852376d2cfb95ad5d6d3eeff93f815e9
