CVE-2022-48732·Kernel vulnerability
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/nouveau: fix off by one in BIOS boundary checking Bounds checking when parsing init scripts embedded in the BIOS reject access to the last byte. This causes driver initialization to fail on Apple eMac's with GeForce 2 MX GPUs, leaving the system with no working console. This is probably only seen on OpenFirmware machines like PowerPC Macs because the BIOS image provided by OF is only the used parts of the ROM, not a power-of-two blocks read from PCI directly so PCs always have empty bytes at the end that are never accessed.
- Severity
- high
- Software
- Kernel
- Fixed in
- 5.16.8
- Published
- 2024-06-20
Affected versions
From: 5.16
Until: 5.16.8
Fixed in: 5.16.8
How to fix this CVE
Update your Linux kernel to version 5.16.8 or later to resolve an off-by-one boundary checking error in the Nouveau GPU driver's BIOS initialization code. This vulnerability prevents proper driver initialization on certain Apple hardware and OpenFirmware-based systems. Systems with GeForce 2 MX GPUs on PowerPC Macs are particularly affected and should prioritize this update.
sudo dnf update kernel kernel-develDefensia detects this vulnerability
How to check if you are affected
- Run 'uname -r' to check the currently running kernel version; vulnerable systems show version 5.16.0 through 5.16.7
- Check if Nouveau driver is loaded with 'lsmod | grep nouveau'; vulnerability only affects systems with this GPU driver active
- Review system logs with 'journalctl -xe | grep -i nouveau' or 'dmesg | grep -i nouveau' for BIOS parsing errors or initialization failures
- After updating to 5.16.8+, reboot the system and confirm nouveau driver loads successfully with 'lsmod | grep nouveau' and 'dmesg | grep -i nouveau'
FAQ
What is CVE-2022-48732?
This vulnerability is an off-by-one error in the Linux Nouveau GPU driver's BIOS boundary checking logic that incorrectly rejects access to the final byte of BIOS memory during initialization, causing driver load failures on certain Apple and PowerPC systems with GeForce 2 MX graphics.
Is CVE-2022-48732 being actively exploited?
No, this vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and no public exploits are available. It is a stability/functionality bug rather than a security issue.
What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2022-48732?
Linux kernel versions 5.16.0 through 5.16.7 are vulnerable. Version 5.16.8 and all later versions contain the fix.
How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2022-48732?
Run 'uname -r' and check if the output is 5.16.0 through 5.16.7, then verify 'lsmod | grep nouveau' shows the driver is loaded. If both conditions are true and you have compatible GPU hardware, your system is vulnerable.
Does Defensia detect CVE-2022-48732?
Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If Kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2022-48732 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.
Related Kernel CVEs
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1b777d4d9e383d2744fc9b3a09af6ec1893c8b1a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/909d3ec1bf9f0ec534bfc081b77c0836fea7b0e2
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/acc887ba88333f5fec49631f12d8cc7ebd95781c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b2a21669ee98aafc41c6d42ef15af4dab9e6e882
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d4b746e60fd8eaa8016e144223abe91158edcdad
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