CVE-2022-48922
Description
A vulnerability was found in the Linux Kernel's RISC-V architecture, caused by improper handling of the frame pointer ($fp) in the trace_hardirqs_{on,off}() functions. These functions rely on the CALLER_ADDR1 macro to retrieve caller information, but if $fp is repurposed for other uses, it can lead to memory access faults, resulting in kernel NULL pointer dereferences during boot.
Statement
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is not vulnerable to this CVE, as it does not affect the versions or configurations of the Linux Kernel used in its distributions.
Mitigation
Mitigation for this issue is ei ther 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).
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 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | N/A |
| Privileges Required | Low | 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 | High | High | N/A |
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
Red Hat CVSS v3 Score Explanation
Attack Complexity (AC): High (H) – This vulnerability occurs under very specific conditions, such as when certain tracing features (like irqsoff tracer) are enabled and low-level assembly code is executed.
Privileges Required (PR): High (H) – The attacker would need significant privileges, as this involves kernel-level execution and system traces.
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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