CVE-2022-48905

Description

A memory leak flaw was found in the Linux kernel’s IBM Virtual Network Interface Controller (ibmvnic ) driver. This issue involved not properly freeing memory associated with a reset work item when the reset work queue is flushed, causing the reset-work-item not to be deallocated. This flaw allows an attacker with control over the virtual NIC to repeatedly trigger interface resets to cause small amounts of memory to leak. Over time, this can lead to memory exhaustion, especially in systems already resource-constrained or under heavy load, resulting in a possible denial of service (DoS) condition.

Mitigation

Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base or stability.

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).

CVSS v3 Score Breakdown

Red HatNVDcve.org
Base Score3.35.5N/A
Attack VectorLocalLocalN/A
Attack ComplexityLowLowN/A
Privileges RequiredLowLowN/A
User InteractionNoneNoneN/A
ScopeUnchangedUnchangedN/A
ConfidentialityNoneNoneN/A
Integrity ImpactNoneNoneN/A
Availability ImpactLowHighN/A

Vector

Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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

Red Hat CVSS v3 Score Explanation

A:L : The memory leak is minor and would only cause availability issues if the system is continuously resetting the interface, leading to gradual memory depletion.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

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