CVE-2022-50554: linux kernel vulnerability

What is known

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: blk-mq: avoid double ->queue_rq() because of early timeout David Jeffery found one double ->queue_rq() issue, so far it can be triggered in VM use case because of long vmexit latency or preempt latency of vCPU pthread or long page fault in vCPU pthread, then block IO req could be timed out before queuing the request to hardware but after calling blk_mq_start_request() during ->queue_rq(), then timeout handler may handle it by requeue, then double ->queue_rq() is caused, and kernel panic. So far, it is driver's responsibility to cover the race between timeout and completion, so it seems supposed to be solved in driver in theory, given driver has enough knowledge. But it is really one common problem, lots of driver could have similar issue, and could be hard to fix all affected drivers, even it isn't easy for driver to handle the race. So David suggests this patch by draining in-progress ->queue_rq() for solving this issue.

Business impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2022-50554, 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
• Reference