CVE-2022-50453: linux kernel Null Dereference — Fix

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: gpiolib: cdev: fix NULL-pointer dereferences There are several places where we can crash the kernel by requesting lines, unbinding the GPIO device, then calling any of the system calls relevant to the GPIO character device's annonymous file descriptors: ioctl(), read(), poll(). While I observed it with the GPIO simulator, it will also happen for any of the GPIO devices that can be hot-unplugged - for instance any HID GPIO expander (e.g. CP2112). This affects both v1 and v2 uAPI. This fixes it partially by checking if gdev->chip is not NULL but it doesn't entirely remedy the situation as we still have a race condition in which another thread can remove the device after the check.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.5

MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-476 CWE-476

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
linux	linux_kernel	4.8 — 5.10.163
linux	linux_kernel	5.11 — 5.15.86
linux	linux_kernel	5.16 — 6.0.16
linux	linux_kernel	6.1 — 6.1.2

References

Advisories & Patches

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/533aae7c94dbc2b14301cfd68ae7e0e90f0c8438 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6d79546622baab843172b52c3af035f83c1b21df https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7c755a2d6df511eeb5afba966ac28140f9ea5063 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ac6ce3cd7a3e10a2e37b8970bab81b4d33d5cfc3 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d66f68ac9e7ba46b6b90fbe25155723f2126088a

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-50453? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: gpiolib: cdev: fix NULL-pointer dereferences There are several places where we can crash the kernel by requesting lines, unbinding the GPIO device, then calling any of the system calls relevant to the GPIO character device's annonymous file descriptors: ioctl(), read(), poll(). While I observed it with the GPIO simulator, it will also happen for any of the GPIO devices that can be hot-unplugged - for instance any HID GPIO expander (e.g. CP2112). This affects both v1 and v2 uAPI. This fixes it partially by checking if gdev->chip is not NULL but it doesn't entirely remedy the situation as we still have a race condition in which another thread can remove the device after the check. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2022-50453? +

CVE-2022-50453 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance.

What products are affected by CVE-2022-50453? +

CVE-2022-50453 affects products from linux, specifically: linux_kernel. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2022-50453? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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