CVE-2022-48953
MediumIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: rtc: cmos: Fix event handler registration ordering issue Because acpi_install_fixed_event_handler() enables the event automatically on success, it is incorrect to call it before the handler routine passed to it is ready to handle events. Unfortunately, the rtc-cmos driver does exactly the incorrect thing by calling cmos_wake_setup(), which passes rtc_handler() to acpi_install_fixed_event_handler(), before cmos_do_probe(), because rtc_handler() uses dev_get_drvdata() to get to the cmos object pointer and the driver data pointer is only populated in cmos_do_probe(). This leads to a NULL pointer dereference in rtc_handler() on boot if the RTC fixed event happens to be active at the init time. To address this issue, change the initialization ordering of the driver so that cmos_wake_setup() is always called after a successful cmos_do_probe() call. While at it, change cmos_pnp_probe() to call cmos_do_probe() after the initial if () statement used for computing the IRQ argument to be passed to cmos_do_probe() which is cleaner than calling it in each branch of that if () (local variable "irq" can be of type int, because it is passed to that function as an argument of type int). Note that commit 6492fed7d8c9 ("rtc: rtc-cmos: Do not check ACPI_FADT_LOW_POWER_S0") caused this issue to affect a larger number of systems, because previously it only affected systems with ACPI_FADT_LOW_POWER_S0 set, but it is present regardless of that commit.
CVSS 3.1 score
5.5
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness type
CWE-476CVE-2022-48953 is a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability
What is NULL Pointer Dereference?
The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. Learn more on MITRE CWE
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
2.6.28
and later are affected. Fixed in
5.10.163,
5.15.86,
6.0.14,
6.1
and their respective stable series.
References
The following references provide additional information about CVE-2022-48953 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.
-
PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0bcfccb48696aba475f046c2021f0733659ce0ef
-
PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1ba745fce13d19775100eece30b0bfb8b8b10ea6
-
PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4919d3eb2ec0ee364f7e3cf2d99646c1b224fae8
Frequently asked questions
-
What is CVE-2022-48953?
CVE-2022-48953 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 , classified as a NULL Pointer Dereference flaw (CWE-476) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 2.6.28 onward and has been patched in 5.10.163, 5.15.86, 6.0.14 and others. CVE-2022-48953 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
-
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2022-48953?
CVE-2022-48953 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. -
Is there a patch available for CVE-2022-48953?
Yes — CVE-2022-48953 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.163, 5.15.86, 6.0.14 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 2.6.28 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
-
Is CVE-2022-48953 actively exploited?
No — CVE-2022-48953 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
-
What is NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476)?
The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. View CWE-476 on MITRE CWE →