CVE-2022-48988 memcg: fix possible use-after-free in memcg_write_event_control()
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's memcg event control allows attackers to potentially execute code or escalate privileges via race conditions.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2022-48988?
CVE-2022-48988 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 21 Oct 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
memcg: fix possible use-after-free in memcg_write_event_control()
memcg_write_event_control() accesses the dentry->d_name of the specified control fd to route the write call. As a cgroup interface file can't be renamed, it's safe to access d_name as long as the specified file is a regular cgroup file. Also, as these cgroup interface files can't be removed before the directory, it's safe to access the parent too.
Prior to 347c4a874710 ("memcg: remove cgroup_event->cft"), there was a call to __file_cft() which verified that the specified file is a regular cgroupfs file before further accesses. The cftype pointer returned from __file_cft() was no longer necessary and the commit inadvertently dropped the file type check with it allowing any file to slip through. With the invarients broken, the d_name and parent accesses can now race against renames and removals of arbitrary files and cause use-after-free's.
Fix the bug by resurrecting the file type check in __file_cft(). Now that cgroupfs is implemented through kernfs, checking the file operations needs to go through a layer of indirection. Instead, let's check the superblock and dentry type.
Weakness: CWE-416
Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-48988?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2022-48988?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.
Is CVE-2022-48988 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-48988 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2022-48988, GHSA-9593-f5wq-r2vm, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-48988.