CVE-2022-42720: Use After Free

Published Oct 13, 2022
·
Updated

A use-after-free flaw was found in bssrefget in the net/wireless/scan.c in the Linux kernel. This issue can lead to a denial of service or arbitrary code execution.

Other sources

There are multiple refcounting bugs related to multi-BSSID: - In bssrefget(), if the BSS has a hiddenbeaconbss, then the bss pointer is overwritten before checking for the transmitted BSS, which is clearly wrong. Fix this by using the bssfrompub() macro.

- In cfg80211bssupdate() we copy the transmittedbss pointer from tmp into new, but then if we release new, we'll unref it erroneously. We already set the pointer and ref it, but need to NULL it since it was copied from the tmp data.

- In cfg80211informsinglebssdata(), if adding to the non- transmitted list fails, we unlink the BSS and yet still we return it, but this results in returning an entry without a reference. We shouldn't return it anyway if it was broken enough to not get added there.

Red Hat

Various refcounting bugs in the multi-BSS handling in the mac80211 stack in the Linux kernel 5.1 through 5.19.x before 5.19.16 could be used by local attackers (able to inject WLAN frames) to trigger use-after-free conditions to potentially execute code.

Affected Software

15 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/kernel-rt<0:4.18.0-477.10.1.rt7.274.el8_8
0:4.18.0-477.10.1.rt7.274.el8_8
redhat/kernel<0:4.18.0-477.10.1.el8_8
0:4.18.0-477.10.1.el8_8
redhat/kernel<0:5.14.0-284.11.1.el9_2
0:5.14.0-284.11.1.el9_2
redhat/kernel-rt<0:5.14.0-284.11.1.rt14.296.el9_2
0:5.14.0-284.11.1.rt14.296.el9_2
Google Android
Linux Linux Kernel>=5.1<5.4.218
Linux Linux Kernel>=5.5<5.10.148
Linux Linux Kernel>=5.11<5.15.74
Linux Linux Kernel>=5.16<5.19.16
Linux Linux Kernel>=6.0<6.0.2
fedoraproject fedora=36
fedoraproject fedora=37
Debian Linux=10.0
Debian Linux=11.0
debian/linux
5.10.223-15.10.234-16.1.129-16.1.135-16.12.25-16.12.27-1

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/kernel-rt to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 0:4.18.0-477.10.1.rt7.274.el8_8
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/kernel to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 0:4.18.0-477.10.1.el8_8
  3. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/kernel to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 0:5.14.0-284.11.1.el9_2
  4. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/kernel-rt to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 0:5.14.0-284.11.1.rt14.296.el9_2
  5. Upgrade

    Upgrade debian/linux to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 5.10.223-1Fixed in 5.10.234-1Fixed in 6.1.129-1Fixed in 6.1.135-1Fixed in 6.12.25-1Fixed in 6.12.27-1

Event History

Oct 13, 2022
CVE Published
via MITRE·12:00 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·12:00 AM
Description
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·12:57 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Oct 14, 2022
Data Sourced
via NVD·12:15 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Jan 12, 2024
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·12:12 AM
Description
Apr 28, 2025
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·05:02 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2022-42720?

CVE-2022-42720 has been classified as a critical vulnerability due to its potential for denial of service and arbitrary code execution.

2

How do I fix CVE-2022-42720?

To address CVE-2022-42720, update to the latest kernel versions: 0:4.18.0-477.10.1.rt7.274.el8_8, 0:4.18.0-477.10.1.el8_8, 0:5.14.0-284.11.1.el9_2, or 0:5.14.0-284.11.1.rt14.296.el9_2 as appropriate.

3

What software versions are affected by CVE-2022-42720?

CVE-2022-42720 affects multiple software versions of the Linux kernel, including various Red Hat and Debian releases.

4

Which products are impacted by CVE-2022-42720?

CVE-2022-42720 impacts products such as Red Hat kernel, Red Hat kernel-rt, and Debian Linux distributions.

5

Can CVE-2022-42720 lead to data compromise?

Yes, CVE-2022-42720 can potentially lead to arbitrary code execution, which may result in data compromise.

Contact

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