CVE-2022-50524
📋 TL;DR
A null pointer dereference vulnerability in the MediaTek IOMMU driver of the Linux kernel could cause kernel panic or system crash when platform_get_resource() returns NULL. This affects Linux systems using MediaTek IOMMU hardware. Attackers could potentially cause denial of service.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with MediaTek IOMMU driver
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Kernel panic leading to system crash and denial of service, potentially requiring physical access to restart the system.
Likely Case
System crash or kernel panic when the driver attempts to access invalid memory, causing temporary denial of service until system reboot.
If Mitigated
No impact if the vulnerable driver is not loaded or if the system doesn't use MediaTek IOMMU hardware.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access and ability to trigger the vulnerable code path in the MediaTek IOMMU driver.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions containing commits 73b6924cdebc899de9b719e1319aa86c6bed4acf, bfebf05883cdcf9ac983033987fae869bd59ca53, or feca904412483b2e0a903dd1f2e2843afd445f8c
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/73b6924cdebc899de9b719e1319aa86c6bed4acf
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Check distribution-specific security advisories. 3. Reboot system after kernel update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable MediaTek IOMMU driver
linuxPrevent loading of the vulnerable driver module
echo 'blacklist mtk_iommu' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod mtk_iommu
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Ensure system doesn't use MediaTek IOMMU hardware
- Restrict local user access to prevent potential exploitation
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if MediaTek IOMMU driver is loaded: lsmod | grep mtk_iommuCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Check kernel version against distribution security advisories and verify driver is not causing crashes📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic messages
- NULL pointer dereference errors in kernel logs
- System crash/reboot events
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
search 'kernel panic' OR 'NULL pointer dereference' OR 'mtk_iommu' in system logs