CVE-2022-48838: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: usb: gadget: Fix use-after-free bug by not setting udc->dev.driver The syzbot fu...

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: usb: gadget: Fix use-after-free bug by not setting udc->dev.driver The syzbot fuzzer found a use-after-free bug: BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in dev_uevent+0x712/0x780 drivers/base/core.c:2320 Read of size 8 at addr ffff88802b934098 by task udevd/3689 CPU: 2 PID: 3689 Comm: udevd Not tainted 5.17.0-rc4-syzkaller-00229-g4f12b742eb2b #0 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.14.0-2 04/01/2014 Call Trace: <TASK> __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:88 [inline] dump_stack_lvl+0xcd/0x134 lib/dump_stack.c:106 print_address_description.constprop.0.cold+0x8d/0x303 mm/kasan/report.c:255 __kasan_report mm/kasan/report.c:442 [inline] kasan_report.cold+0x83/0xdf mm/kasan/report.c:459 dev_uevent+0x712/0x780 drivers/base/core.c:2320 uevent_show+0x1b8/0x380 drivers/base/core.c:2391 dev_attr_show+0x4b/0x90 drivers/base/core.c:2094 Although the bug manifested in the driver core, the real cause was a race with the gadget core. dev_uevent() does: if (dev->driver) add_uevent_var(env, "DRIVER=%s", dev->driver->name); and between the test and the dereference of dev->driver, the gadget core sets dev->driver to NULL. The race wouldn't occur if the gadget core registered its devices on a real bus, using the standard synchronization techniques of the driver core. However, it's not necessary to make such a large change in order to fix this bug; all we need to do is make sure that udc->dev.driver is always NULL. In fact, there is no reason for udc->dev.driver ever to be set to anything, let alone to the value it currently gets: the address of the gadget's driver. After all, a gadget driver only knows how to manage a gadget, not how to manage a UDC. This patch simply removes the statements in the gadget core that touch udc->dev.driver.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS Probability

0.23%

14.0th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-416

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 3.1, < 4.9.308
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 4.10, < 4.14.273
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 4.15, < 4.19.236
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 4.20, < 5.4.187
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.5, < 5.10.108
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.11, < 5.15.31
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.16, < 5.16.17

References

Timeline

Published: Jul 16, 2024
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-48838?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: usb: gadget: Fix use-after-free bug by not setting udc->dev.driver The syzbot fuzzer found a use-after-free bug: BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in dev_uevent+0x712/0x780 drivers/base/core.c:2320 Read of size 8 at addr ffff88802b934098 by task udevd/3689 CPU: 2 PID: 3689 Comm: udevd Not tainted 5.17.0-rc4-syzkaller-00229-g4f12b742eb2b #0 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.14.0-2 04/01/2014 Call Trace: <TASK> __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:88 [inline] dump_stack_lvl+0xcd/0x134 lib/dump_stack.c:106 print_address_description.constprop.0.cold+0x8d/0x303 mm/kasan/report.c:255 __kasan_report mm/kasan/report.c:442 [inline] kasan_report.cold+0x83/0xdf mm/kasan/report.c:459 dev_uevent+0x712/0x780 drivers/base/core.c:2320 uevent_show+0x1b8/0x380 drivers/base/core.c:2391 dev_attr_show+0x4b/0x90 drivers/base/core.c:2094 Although the bug manifested in the driver core, the real cause was a race with the gadget core. dev_uevent() does: if (dev->driver) add_uevent_var(env, "DRIVER=%s", dev->driver->name); and between the test and the dereference of dev->driver, the gadget core sets dev->driver to NULL. The race wouldn't occur if the gadget core registered its devices on a real bus, using the standard synchronization techniques of the driver core. However, it's not necessary to make such a large change in order to fix this bug; all we need to do is make sure that udc->dev.driver is always NULL. In fact, there is no reason for udc->dev.driver ever to be set to anything, let alone to the value it currently gets: the address of the gadget's driver. After all, a gadget driver only knows how to manage a gadget, not how to manage a UDC. This patch simply removes the statements in the gadget core that touch udc->dev.driver.

How severe is CVE-2022-48838?

CVE-2022-48838 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.23% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2022-48838?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.