CVE-2022-49817
Description
From CVE.org
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: mhi: Fix memory leak in mhi_net_dellink() MHI driver registers network device without setting the needs_free_netdev flag, and does NOT call free_netdev() when unregisters network device, which causes a memory leak. This patch calls free_netdev() to fix it since netdev_priv is used after unregister.
Statement
This patch fixes a memory leak in the MHI (Modem Host Interface) network driver that occurred when a network device was unregistered without freeing its allocated structure. The driver failed to call free_netdev() after unregister_netdev(), leading to persistent kernel memory consumption each time a device was detached. The issue affects systems using WWAN devices over MHI but does not allow privilege escalation or corruption—only gradual memory exhaustion.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 2.3 | 5.5 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | N/A |
| Privileges Required | High | Low | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | None | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | N/A |
| Confidentiality | None | None | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | None | None | N/A |
| Availability Impact | Low | High | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart; DoS: Instability; DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU); DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory)
Most memory leaks result in general product reliability problems, but if an attacker can intentionally trigger a memory leak, the attacker might be able to launch a denial of service attack (by crashing or hanging the program) or take advantage of other unexpected program behavior resulting from a low memory condition.
Other
Technical Impact: Reduce Performance
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