CVE-2022-49059 nfc: nci: add flush_workqueue to prevent uaf
A race condition in the Linux kernel NFC subsystem allows attackers to trigger a use-after-free, potentially causing system crashes or arbitrary code execution.
- 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-2022-49059?
CVE-2022-49059 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 26 Feb 2025. 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:
nfc: nci: add flush_workqueue to prevent uaf
Our detector found a concurrent use-after-free bug when detaching an NCI device. The main reason for this bug is the unexpected scheduling between the used delayed mechanism (timer and workqueue).
The race can be demonstrated below:
Thread-1 Thread-2 | nci_dev_up() | nci_open_device() | __nci_request(nci_reset_req) | nci_send_cmd | queue_work(cmd_work) nci_unregister_device() | nci_close_device() | ... del_timer_sync(cmd_timer)[1] | ... | Worker nci_free_device() | nci_cmd_work() kfree(ndev)[3] | mod_timer(cmd_timer)[2]
In short, the cleanup routine thought that the cmd_timer has already been detached by [1] but the mod_timer can re-attach the timer [2], even it is already released [3], resulting in UAF.
This UAF is easy to trigger, crash trace by POC is like below
[ 66.703713] ================================================================== [ 66.703974] BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in enqueue_timer+0x448/0x490 [ 66.703974] Write of size 8 at addr ffff888009fb7058 by task kworker/u4:1/33 [ 66.703974] [ 66.703974] CPU: 1 PID: 33 Comm: kworker/u4:1 Not tainted 5.18.0-rc2 #5 [ 66.703974] Workqueue: nfc2_nci_cmd_wq nci_cmd_work [ 66.703974] Call Trace: [ 66.703974] <TASK> [ 66.703974] dump_stack_lvl+0x57/0x7d [ 66.703974] print_report.cold+0x5e/0x5db [ 66.703974] ? enqueue_timer+0x448/0x490 [ 66.703974] kasan_report+0xbe/0x1c0 [ 66.703974] ? enqueue_timer+0x448/0x490 [ 66.703974] enqueue_timer+0x448/0x490 [ 66.703974] __mod_timer+0x5e6/0xb80 [ 66.703974] ? mark_held_locks+0x9e/0xe0 [ 66.703974] ? try_to_del_timer_sync+0xf0/0xf0 [ 66.703974] ? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0x17b/0x410 [ 66.703974] ? queue_work_on+0x61/0x80 [ 66.703974] ? lockdep_hardirqs_on+0xbf/0x130 [ 66.703974] process_one_work+0x8bb/0x1510 [ 66.703974] ? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0x410/0x410 [ 66.703974] ? pwq_dec_nr_in_flight+0x230/0x230 [ 66.703974] ? rwlock_bug.part.0+0x90/0x90 [ 66.703974] ? _raw_spin_lock_irq+0x41/0x50 [ 66.703974] worker_thread+0x575/0x1190 [ 66.703974] ? process_one_work+0x1510/0x1510 [ 66.703974] kthread+0x2a0/0x340 [ 66.703974] ? kthread_complete_and_exit+0x20/0x20 [ 66.703974] ret_from_fork+0x22/0x30 [ 66.703974] </TASK> [ 66.703974] [ 66.703974] Allocated by task 267: [ 66.703974] kasan_save_stack+0x1e/0x40 [ 66.703974] __kasan_kmalloc+0x81/0xa0 [ 66.703974] nci_allocate_device+0xd3/0x390 [ 66.703974] nfcmrvl_nci_register_dev+0x183/0x2c0 [ 66.703974] nfcmrvl_nci_uart_open+0xf2/0x1dd [ 66.703974] nci_uart_tty_ioctl+0x2c3/0x4a0 [ 66.703974] tty_ioctl+0x764/0x1310 [ 66.703974] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x122/0x190 [ 66.703974] do_syscall_64+0x3b/0x90 [ 66.703974] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae [ 66.703974] [ 66.703974] Freed by task 406: [ 66.703974] kasan_save_stack+0x1e/0x40 [ 66.703974] kasan_set_track+0x21/0x30 [ 66.703974] kasan_set_free_info+0x20/0x30 [ 66.703974] __kasan_slab_free+0x108/0x170 [ 66.703974] kfree+0xb0/0x330 [ 66.703974] nfcmrvl_nci_unregister_dev+0x90/0xd0 [ 66.703974] nci_uart_tty_close+0xdf/0x180 [ 66.703974] tty_ldisc_kill+0x73/0x110 [ 66.703974] tty_ldisc_hangup+0x281/0x5b0 [ 66.703974] __tty_hangup.part.0+0x431/0x890 [ 66.703974] tty_release+0x3a8/0xc80 [ 66.703974] __fput+0x1f0/0x8c0 [ 66.703974] task_work_run+0xc9/0x170 [ 66.703974] exit_to_user_mode_prepare+0x194/0x1a0 [ 66.703974] syscall_exit_to_user_mode+0x19/0x50 [ 66.703974] do_syscall_64+0x48/0x90 [ 66.703974] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0x ---truncated---
Weakness: CWE-416
Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-49059?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2022-49059?
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-2022-49059 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-49059 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2022-49059, GHSA-p967-4mgh-r94w, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-49059.