CVE-2024-49857
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's iwlwifi driver. Specifically, the mvm module does not correctly initialize a cipher pointer when handling secured Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP) ranging. A local attacker could exploit this vulnerability to cause a NULL pointer dereference, leading to a system crash and a Denial of Service (DoS).
Mitigation
To mitigate this issue, prevent the `iwlwifi` kernel module from loading. This will disable Wi-Fi functionality for Intel wireless adapters.
1. Create a blacklist file for the `iwlwifi` module:
bash2. Rebuild the initial RAM disk to apply the blacklist:
echo "blacklist iwlwifi" | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/iwlwifi-blacklist.conf
bash3. Reboot the system for the changes to take effect.
sudo dracut -f
# For older systems, use:
# sudo mkinitrd -f -v /boot/initramfs-$(uname -r).img $(uname -r)
Warning: Disabling the `iwlwifi` module will prevent the use of Intel wireless adapters and may impact network connectivity if Wi-Fi is the primary interface.
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 | 5.5 | 7.1 |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | Local |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | Low | Low |
| User Interaction | None | None | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | None | None |
| Integrity Impact | None | None | High |
| Availability Impact | High | High | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
NVD: 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:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
NULL pointer dereferences usually result in the failure of the process unless exception handling (on some platforms) is available and implemented. Even when exception handling is being used, it can still be very difficult to return the software to a safe state of operation.
Integrity,Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Read Memory; Modify Memory
In rare circumstances, when NULL is equivalent to the 0x0 memory address and privileged code can access it, then writing or reading memory is possible, which may lead to code execution.
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