CVE-2019-15218
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Siano Mobile Silicon MDTV receiver driver. An attacker, with physical access and a specially crafted USB device, can exploit this vulnerability, creating a NULL pointer dereference and causing the system to crash. The highest threat from this vulnerability is system availability.
Mitigation
As the smsusb module will be auto-loaded when required, its use can be disabled by preventing the module from loading with the following instructions:
# echo "install smsusb /bin/true" >> /etc/modprobe.d/disable-smsusb.conf
The system will need to be restarted if the module are already loaded. In most circumstances, the smsusb kernel modules will be unable to be unloaded while the adapter is in use. If the system requires this module to work correctly, this mitigation may not be suitable.
If you need further assistance, see KCS article https://access.redhat.com/solutions/41278 or contact Red Hat Global Support Services."
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 | 4.6 | 4.6 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Physical | Physical | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | N/A |
| Privileges Required | None | None | 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 | High | High | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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