#VU59896 Security restrictions bypass in Linux kernel - CVE-2022-23222

Vulnerability identifier: #VU59896

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 6.4 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2022-23222

CWE-ID: CWE-264

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: Yes

Vulnerable software:
Linux kernel
Operating systems & Components / Operating system

Vendor: Linux Foundation

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to availability of pointer arithmetic via certain *_OR_NULL pointer types in kernel/bpf/verifier.c in the Linux kernel. A local user can run a specially crafted program to execute arbitrary code with root privileges.

Mitigation

Cybersecurity Help is currently unaware of any official solution to address this vulnerability.

As a temporary solution set kernel.unprivileged_bpf_disabled to 1.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 5.15 rc1 - 5.15.14

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External links
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2022/01/13/1
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2022/01/14/1
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2022/01/18/2
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/tree/kernel/bpf/verifier.c?h=v5.10.83#n6022

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability. However, proof of concept for this vulnerability is available.