CVE-2023-53822
Description
From CVE.org
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: ath11k: Ignore frags from uninitialized peer in dp. When max virtual ap interfaces are configured in all the bands with ACS and hostapd restart is done every 60s, a crash is observed at random times. In this certain scenario, a fragmented packet is received for self peer, for which rx_tid and rx_frags are not initialized in datapath. While handling this fragment, crash is observed as the rx_frag list is uninitialised and when we walk in ath11k_dp_rx_h_sort_frags, skb null leads to exception. To address this, before processing received fragments we check dp_setup_done flag is set to ensure that peer has completed its dp peer setup for fragment queue, else ignore processing the fragments. Call trace: ath11k_dp_process_rx_err+0x550/0x1084 [ath11k] ath11k_dp_service_srng+0x70/0x370 [ath11k] 0xffffffc009693a04 __napi_poll+0x30/0xa4 net_rx_action+0x118/0x270 __do_softirq+0x10c/0x244 irq_exit+0x64/0xb4 __handle_domain_irq+0x88/0xac gic_handle_irq+0x74/0xbc el1_irq+0xf0/0x1c0 arch_cpu_idle+0x10/0x18 do_idle+0x104/0x248 cpu_startup_entry+0x20/0x64 rest_init+0xd0/0xdc arch_call_rest_init+0xc/0x14 start_kernel+0x480/0x4b8 Code: f9400281 f94066a2 91405021 b94a0023 (f9406401) Tested-on: IPQ8074 hw2.0 AHB WLAN.HK.2.7.0.1-01744-QCAHKSWPL_SILICONZ-1
Statement
The issue in the ath11k driver allowed a NULL pointer dereference when fragmented Wi-Fi frames were received before datapath initialization for a peer. This could cause a kernel crash during packet processing. An attacker with local administrative access or control over the wireless interface (e.g., repeatedly restarting hostapd with multiple virtual APs) could trigger the race condition, leading to a denial of service (system crash).
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 | 5.5 | N/A | 8.8 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Adjacent Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Memory; Read Application Data
When reusing a resource such as memory or a program variable, the original contents of that resource may not be cleared before it is sent to an untrusted party.
Access Control
Technical Impact: Bypass Protection Mechanism
If security-critical decisions rely on a variable having a "0" or equivalent value, and the programming language performs this initialization on behalf of the programmer, then a bypass of security may occur.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
The uninitialized data may contain values that cause program flow to change in ways that the programmer did not intend. For example, if an uninitialized variable is used as an array index in C, then its previous contents may produce an index that is outside the range of the array, possibly causing a crash or an exit in other environments.
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