#VU96418 NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel - CVE-2022-48942

Vulnerability identifier: #VU96418

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 4.3 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2022-48942

CWE-ID: CWE-476

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

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

Vendor: Linux Foundation

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

The vulnerability exists due to NULL pointer dereference within the hwmon_thermal_add_sensor() function in drivers/hwmon/hwmon.c. A local user can perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 5.10, 5.10 rc1, 5.10 rc2, 5.10 rc3, 5.10 rc4, 5.10 rc5, 5.10 rc7, 5.10.1, 5.10.2, 5.10.3, 5.10.4, 5.10.5, 5.10.6, 5.10.7, 5.10.8, 5.10.9, 5.10.10, 5.10.11, 5.10.12, 5.10.13, 5.10.14, 5.10.15, 5.10.16, 5.10.17, 5.10.18, 5.10.19, 5.10.20, 5.10.21, 5.10.22, 5.10.23, 5.10.24, 5.10.25, 5.10.26, 5.10.27, 5.10.28, 5.10.29, 5.10.30, 5.10.31, 5.10.32, 5.10.33, 5.10.34, 5.10.35, 5.10.36, 5.10.37, 5.10.38, 5.10.39, 5.10.40, 5.10.41, 5.10.42, 5.10.43, 5.10.44, 5.10.45, 5.10.46, 5.10.47, 5.10.48, 5.10.49, 5.10.50, 5.10.51, 5.10.52, 5.10.53, 5.10.54, 5.10.55, 5.10.56, 5.10.57, 5.10.58, 5.10.59, 5.10.60, 5.10.61, 5.10.62, 5.10.63, 5.10.64, 5.10.65, 5.10.66, 5.10.67, 5.10.68, 5.10.69, 5.10.70, 5.10.71, 5.10.72, 5.10.73, 5.10.74, 5.10.75, 5.10.76, 5.10.77, 5.10.78, 5.10.79, 5.10.80, 5.10.81, 5.10.82, 5.10.83, 5.10.84, 5.10.85, 5.10.86, 5.10.87, 5.10.88, 5.10.89, 5.10.90, 5.10.91, 5.10.92, 5.10.93, 5.10.94, 5.10.95, 5.10.96, 5.10.97, 5.10.98, 5.10.99, 5.10.100, 5.10.101, 5.10.102, 5.15, 5.15 rc1, 5.15 rc2, 5.15 rc3, 5.15 rc4, 5.15 rc5, 5.15 rc6, 5.15 rc7, 5.15.0, 5.15.1, 5.15.2, 5.15.3, 5.15.4, 5.15.5, 5.15.6, 5.15.7, 5.15.8, 5.15.9, 5.15.10, 5.15.11, 5.15.12, 5.15.13, 5.15.14, 5.15.15, 5.15.16, 5.15.17, 5.15.18, 5.15.19, 5.15.20, 5.15.21, 5.15.22, 5.15.23, 5.15.24, 5.15.25, 5.16, 5.16 rc1, 5.16 rc2, 5.16 rc3, 5.16 rc4, 5.16 rc5, 5.16 rc6, 5.16 rc8, 5.16.0, 5.16.1, 5.16.2, 5.16.3, 5.16.4, 5.16.5, 5.16.6, 5.16.7, 5.16.8, 5.16.9, 5.16.10, 5.16.11, 5.17 rc1, 5.17 rc2, 5.17 rc3, 5.17 rc4, 5.17 rc5, 5.17 rc6, 5.17 rc7, 5.17 rc8, 5.17 rc9, 5.17 rc12

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External links
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/962b2a3188bfa5388756ffbc47dfa5ff59cb8011
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7efe8499cb90651c540753f4269d2d43ede14223
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8a1969e14ad93663f9a3ed02ccc2138da9956a0e
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1b5f517cca36292076d9e38fa6e33a257703e62e
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v5.x/ChangeLog-5.10.103
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v5.x/ChangeLog-5.15.26
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v5.x/ChangeLog-5.16.12
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v5.x/ChangeLog-5.17

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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.