CVE-2022-21499: Medium severity Oracle Linux vulnerability
A flaw was found in kernel/debug/debugcore.c in the Linux kernel in the lockdown mode. In this flaw, an attacker with local access could trigger the debugger, bypass lockdown and write anonymously.
In this flaw, KGDB and KDB allow read and write access to kernel memory, and thus should not be allowed during lockdown. An attacker with access to a serial port could trigger the debugger and use it to bypass lockdown.
Reference: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=eadb2f47a3ced5c64b23b90fd2a3463f63726066
Other sources
A flaw was found in the kernel/debug/debugcore.c in the Linux kernel in lockdown mode. This flaw allows an attacker with local access to trigger the debugger, bypass lockdown and write anonymously.
KGDB and KDB allow read and write access to kernel memory, and thus should be restricted during lockdown. An attacker with access to a serial port could trigger the debugger so it is important that the debugger respect the lockdown mode when/if it is triggered. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 6.7 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
Affected Software
Remediation
Information
Event History
Parent advisories
This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2022-21499?
CVE-2022-21499 is considered a high severity vulnerability due to its potential to allow local attackers to bypass lockdown mode and write to kernel memory.
How do I fix CVE-2022-21499?
To fix CVE-2022-21499, update to the latest kernel versions provided, such as kernel-rt version 0:4.18.0-425.3.1.rt7.213.el8 or kernel version 0:5.14.0-162.6.1.el9_1.
What systems are affected by CVE-2022-21499?
CVE-2022-21499 affects various Linux distributions, including Red Hat, Oracle Linux, and Debian, particularly versions under the kernel package.
Can CVE-2022-21499 be exploited remotely?
No, CVE-2022-21499 requires local access to the system to exploit, meaning an attacker must have physical or SSH access to the affected machine.
What is the impact of CVE-2022-21499 on system security?
The impact of CVE-2022-21499 on system security is significant as it allows an attacker to bypass kernel lockdown protections, potentially leading to unauthorized access and manipulation of kernel memory.