CVE-2022-49896: linux kernel vulnerability

What is known

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cxl/pmem: Fix cxl_pmem_region and cxl_memdev leak When a cxl_nvdimm object goes through a ->remove() event (device physically removed, nvdimm-bridge disabled, or nvdimm device disabled), then any associated regions must also be disabled. As highlighted by the cxl-create-region.sh test [1], a single device may host multiple regions, but the driver was only tracking one region at a time. This leads to a situation where only the last enabled region per nvdimm device is cleaned up properly. Other regions are leaked, and this also causes cxl_memdev reference leaks. Fix the tracking by allowing cxl_nvdimm objects to track multiple region associations.

Business impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2022-49896, a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.5) affecting linux kernel, may affect the confidentiality, integrity or availability of the vulnerable environment. The exact impact depends on the installed version, exposed interfaces and deployment configuration.

Recommended administrator action

Confirm whether linux kernel is present and compare installed versions with the vendor advisory and NVD record. Apply the vendor patch or documented mitigation; until remediation is complete, reduce exposure of affected interfaces, review relevant logs and monitor for indicators of exploitation. DataHouse can support version verification, managed patching, network exposure reduction, log review and backup validation for dedicated, cloud and colocated environments.

Sources

• NVD
• Reference
• Reference