CVE-2022-50355
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's vt6655 staging driver. If memory allocation fails during driver initialization, the cleanup code incorrectly handles deallocation, potentially leaking kernel memory or causing invalid memory access. Systems using this specific driver are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with vt6655 staging 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Kernel panic or system crash due to invalid memory access during driver initialization failure, leading to denial of service.
Likely Case
Memory leak during driver initialization failures, potentially causing gradual resource exhaustion over multiple failures.
If Mitigated
Minor performance impact from memory leaks during rare initialization failures.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires triggering driver initialization failure conditions, which may be difficult to achieve reliably.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions with commits: 2a2db520e3ca5aafba7c211abfd397666c9b5f9d, 637672a71f5016a40b0a6c0f3c8ad25eacedc8c3, 88b9cc60f26e8a05d1ddbddf91b09ca2915f20e0, 95ac62e8545be2b0a8cae0beef7c682e2e470e48, a9e9806d1c315bc50dce05479a079b9a104474b8
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2a2db520e3ca5aafba7c211abfd397666c9b5f9d
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. For distributions: Use package manager to update kernel package. 3. Rebuild kernel if using custom kernel.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vt6655 driver
LinuxPrevent loading of the vulnerable driver module
echo 'blacklist vt6655' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod vt6655
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Ensure vt6655 driver is not loaded (check with 'lsmod | grep vt6655')
- Monitor system logs for driver initialization failures or memory allocation errors
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if vt6655 module is loaded: 'lsmod | grep vt6655'. If loaded, check kernel version against patched versions.Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes fix commits: 'uname -r' and check kernel changelog for commit hashes.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel logs showing vt6655 driver initialization failures
- Memory allocation failure messages in dmesg
Network Indicators:
- None specific - this is a local driver issue
SIEM Query:
Search for 'vt6655' and 'allocation failure' or 'panic' in kernel logs🔗 References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2a2db520e3ca5aafba7c211abfd397666c9b5f9d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/637672a71f5016a40b0a6c0f3c8ad25eacedc8c3
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/88b9cc60f26e8a05d1ddbddf91b09ca2915f20e0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/95ac62e8545be2b0a8cae0beef7c682e2e470e48
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a9e9806d1c315bc50dce05479a079b9a104474b8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ed11b73c963292e7b49c0f37025c58ed3b7921d6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f19e5b7df54590c831f350381963f25585c8f7d5
