CVE-2022-48956·Kernel vulnerability
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: avoid use-after-free in ip6_fragment() Blamed commit claimed rcu_read_lock() was held by ip6_fragment() callers. It seems to not be always true, at least for UDP stack. syzbot reported: BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in ip6_dst_idev include/net/ip6_fib.h:245 [inline] BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in ip6_fragment+0x2724/0x2770 net/ipv6/ip6_output.c:951 Read of size 8 at addr ffff88801d403e80 by task syz-executor.3/7618 CPU: 1 PID: 7618 Comm: syz-executor.3 Not tainted 6.1.0-rc6-syzkaller-00012-g4312098baf37 #0 Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 10/26/2022 Call Trace: <TASK> __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:88 [inline] dump_stack_lvl+0xd1/0x138 lib/dump_stack.c:106 print_address_description mm/kasan/report.c:284 [inline] print_report+0x15e/0x45d mm/kasan/report.c:395 kasan_report+0xbf/0x1f0 mm/kasan/report.c:495 ip6_dst_idev include/net/ip6_fib.h:245 [inline] ip6_fragment+0x2724/0x2770 net/ipv6/ip6_output.c:951 __ip6_finish_output net/ipv6/ip6_output.c:193 [inline] ip6_finish_output+0x9a3/0x1170 net/ipv6/ip6_output.c:206 NF_HOOK_COND include/linux/netfilter.h:291 [inline] ip6_output+0x1f1/0x540 net/ipv6/ip6_output.c:227 dst_output include/net/dst.h:445 [inline] ip6_local_out+0xb3/0x1a0 net/ipv6/output_core.c:161 ip6_send_skb+0xbb/0x340 net/ipv6/ip6_output.c:1966 udp_v6_send_skb+0x82a/0x18a0 net/ipv6/udp.c:1286 udp_v6_push_pending_frames+0x140/0x200 net/ipv6/udp.c:1313 udpv6_sendmsg+0x18da/0x2c80 net/ipv6/udp.c:1606 inet6_sendmsg+0x9d/0xe0 net/ipv6/af_inet6.c:665 sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:714 [inline] sock_sendmsg+0xd3/0x120 net/socket.c:734 sock_write_iter+0x295/0x3d0 net/socket.c:1108 call_write_iter include/linux/fs.h:2191 [inline] new_sync_write fs/read_write.c:491 [inline] vfs_write+0x9ed/0xdd0 fs/read_write.c:584 ksys_write+0x1ec/0x250 fs/read_write.c:637 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:50 [inline] do_syscall_64+0x39/0xb0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:80 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd RIP: 0033:0x7fde3588c0d9 Code: 28 00 00 00 75 05 48 83 c4 28 c3 e8 f1 19 00 00 90 48 89 f8 48 89 f7 48 89 d6 48 89 ca 4d 89 c2 4d 89 c8 4c 8b 4c 24 08 0f 05 <48> 3d 01 f0 ff ff 73 01 c3 48 c7 c1 b8 ff ff ff f7 d8 64 89 01 48 RSP: 002b:00007fde365b6168 EFLAGS: 00000246 ORIG_RAX: 0000000000000001 RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 00007fde359ac050 RCX: 00007fde3588c0d9 RDX: 000000000000ffdc RSI: 00000000200000c0 RDI: 000000000000000a RBP: 00007fde358e7ae9 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000000 R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000246 R12: 0000000000000000 R13: 00007fde35acfb1f R14: 00007fde365b6300 R15: 0000000000022000 </TASK> Allocated by task 7618: kasan_save_stack+0x22/0x40 mm/kasan/common.c:45 kasan_set_track+0x25/0x30 mm/kasan/common.c:52 __kasan_slab_alloc+0x82/0x90 mm/kasan/common.c:325 kasan_slab_alloc include/linux/kasan.h:201 [inline] slab_post_alloc_hook mm/slab.h:737 [inline] slab_alloc_node mm/slub.c:3398 [inline] slab_alloc mm/slub.c:3406 [inline] __kmem_cache_alloc_lru mm/slub.c:3413 [inline] kmem_cache_alloc+0x2b4/0x3d0 mm/slub.c:3422 dst_alloc+0x14a/0x1f0 net/core/dst.c:92 ip6_dst_alloc+0x32/0xa0 net/ipv6/route.c:344 ip6_rt_pcpu_alloc net/ipv6/route.c:1369 [inline] rt6_make_pcpu_route net/ipv6/route.c:1417 [inline] ip6_pol_route+0x901/0x1190 net/ipv6/route.c:2254 pol_lookup_func include/net/ip6_fib.h:582 [inline] fib6_rule_lookup+0x52e/0x6f0 net/ipv6/fib6_rules.c:121 ip6_route_output_flags_noref+0x2e6/0x380 net/ipv6/route.c:2625 ip6_route_output_flags+0x76/0x320 net/ipv6/route.c:2638 ip6_route_output include/net/ip6_route.h:98 [inline] ip6_dst_lookup_tail+0x5ab/0x1620 net/ipv6/ip6_output.c:1092 ip6_dst_lookup_flow+0x90/0x1d0 net/ipv6/ip6_output.c:1222 ip6_sk_dst_lookup_flow+0x553/0x980 net/ipv6/ip6_output.c:1260 udpv6_sendmsg+0x151d/0x2c80 net/ipv6/udp.c:1554 inet6_sendmsg+0x9d/0xe0 net/ipv6/af_inet6.c:665 sock_sendmsg_nosec n ---truncated---
- Severity
- high
- Software
- Kernel
- Fixed in
- 6.0.13
- Published
How likely is exploitation
FIRST's Exploit Prediction Scoring System puts the probability of this CVE being exploited in the next 30 days at <0.1% — higher than 2% of all published CVEs. EPSS is an independent forecast of exploitation, not a severity rating: it says nothing about how much damage a successful attack does, which is what a CVSS score measures.
Read the two together. CVE-2022-48956 scores 7.8 on CVSS, so a successful attack would be serious — but at <0.1%, almost nobody is currently attempting it. That is a different situation from a flaw under mass exploitation, and it is usually the difference between patching on your next maintenance window and patching tonight.
Affected versions
From: 5.16
Until: 6.0.13
Fixed in: 6.0.13
How to fix this CVE
Update your Linux kernel to version 6.0.13 or later to resolve a critical use-after-free condition in IPv6 packet fragmentation. This vulnerability can cause kernel crashes or information disclosure when UDP traffic triggers improper RCU locking in the ip6_fragment() function. Apply the patch immediately to systems handling IPv6 traffic.
sudo dnf update kernel kernel-develDefensia detects this vulnerability
How to check if you are affected
- Step 1: Check kernel version with 'uname -r' and compare against 6.0.13 or later
- Step 2: Verify IPv6 is enabled with 'cat /proc/sys/net/ipv6/conf/all/disable_ipv6' (should return 0 if enabled)
- Step 3: Search kernel logs for use-after-free errors with 'grep -i "use-after-free\|kasan" /var/log/kern.log | grep -i "ip6_fragment"'
- Step 4: After patching, reboot and confirm new kernel version with 'uname -r' returns 6.0.13 or later
FAQ
What is CVE-2022-48956?
CVE-2022-48956 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's IPv6 packet fragmentation code that occurs when RCU read-side locks are not properly held during ip6_fragment() execution, particularly from UDP stack paths. This can lead to kernel memory corruption, crashes, or potential information disclosure.
Is CVE-2022-48956 being actively exploited?
No, CVE-2022-48956 is not listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and no public exploits are currently available. However, the vulnerability is easily triggerable through fuzzing and should still be patched promptly.
What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2022-48956?
Linux kernel versions 5.16 through 6.0.12 are vulnerable. Kernel 6.0.13 and later include the fix.
How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2022-48956?
Run 'uname -r' to get your kernel version. If it reports anything between 5.16 and 6.0.12, your system is vulnerable and requires immediate patching.
Does Defensia detect CVE-2022-48956?
Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If the Linux kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2022-48956 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.
Related Kernel CVEs
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6b6d3be3661bff2746cab26147bd629aa034e094
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7390c70bd431cbfa6951477e2c80a301643e284b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7e0dcd5f3ade221a6126278aca60c8ab4cc3bce9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/803e84867de59a1e5d126666d25eb4860cfd2ebe
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8208d7e56b1e579320b9ff3712739ad2e63e1f86
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