CVE-2022-48914: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xen/netfront: destroy queues before real_num_tx_queues is zeroed xennet_destroy_...

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xen/netfront: destroy queues before real_num_tx_queues is zeroed xennet_destroy_queues() relies on info->netdev->real_num_tx_queues to delete queues. Since d7dac083414eb5bb99a6d2ed53dc2c1b405224e5 ("net-sysfs: update the queue counts in the unregistration path"), unregister_netdev() indirectly sets real_num_tx_queues to 0. Those two facts together means, that xennet_destroy_queues() called from xennet_remove() cannot do its job, because it's called after unregister_netdev(). This results in kfree-ing queues that are still linked in napi, which ultimately crashes: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page PGD 0 P4D 0 Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP PTI CPU: 1 PID: 52 Comm: xenwatch Tainted: G W 5.16.10-1.32.fc32.qubes.x86_64+ #226 RIP: 0010:free_netdev+0xa3/0x1a0 Code: ff 48 89 df e8 2e e9 00 00 48 8b 43 50 48 8b 08 48 8d b8 a0 fe ff ff 48 8d a9 a0 fe ff ff 49 39 c4 75 26 eb 47 e8 ed c1 66 ff <48> 8b 85 60 01 00 00 48 8d 95 60 01 00 00 48 89 ef 48 2d 60 01 00 RSP: 0000:ffffc90000bcfd00 EFLAGS: 00010286 RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffff88800edad000 RCX: 0000000000000000 RDX: 0000000000000001 RSI: ffffc90000bcfc30 RDI: 00000000ffffffff RBP: fffffffffffffea0 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000000 R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000001 R12: ffff88800edad050 R13: ffff8880065f8f88 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: ffff8880066c6680 FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff8880f3300000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 0000000000000000 CR3: 00000000e998c006 CR4: 00000000003706e0 Call Trace: <TASK> xennet_remove+0x13d/0x300 [xen_netfront] xenbus_dev_remove+0x6d/0xf0 __device_release_driver+0x17a/0x240 device_release_driver+0x24/0x30 bus_remove_device+0xd8/0x140 device_del+0x18b/0x410 ? _raw_spin_unlock+0x16/0x30 ? klist_iter_exit+0x14/0x20 ? xenbus_dev_request_and_reply+0x80/0x80 device_unregister+0x13/0x60 xenbus_dev_changed+0x18e/0x1f0 xenwatch_thread+0xc0/0x1a0 ? do_wait_intr_irq+0xa0/0xa0 kthread+0x16b/0x190 ? set_kthread_struct+0x40/0x40 ret_from_fork+0x22/0x30 </TASK> Fix this by calling xennet_destroy_queues() from xennet_uninit(), when real_num_tx_queues is still available. This ensures that queues are destroyed when real_num_tx_queues is set to 0, regardless of how unregister_netdev() was called. Originally reported at https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues/7257

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

0.21%

11.8th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-476

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 4.19.226, < 4.19.233
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.4.174, < 5.4.183
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.10.94, < 5.10.104
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.15.17, < 5.15.27
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.16.3, < 5.16.13

References

Timeline

Published: Aug 22, 2024
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-48914?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xen/netfront: destroy queues before real_num_tx_queues is zeroed xennet_destroy_queues() relies on info->netdev->real_num_tx_queues to delete queues. Since d7dac083414eb5bb99a6d2ed53dc2c1b405224e5 ("net-sysfs: update the queue counts in the unregistration path"), unregister_netdev() indirectly sets real_num_tx_queues to 0. Those two facts together means, that xennet_destroy_queues() called from xennet_remove() cannot do its job, because it's called after unregister_netdev(). This results in kfree-ing queues that are still linked in napi, which ultimately crashes: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page PGD 0 P4D 0 Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP PTI CPU: 1 PID: 52 Comm: xenwatch Tainted: G W 5.16.10-1.32.fc32.qubes.x86_64+ #226 RIP: 0010:free_netdev+0xa3/0x1a0 Code: ff 48 89 df e8 2e e9 00 00 48 8b 43 50 48 8b 08 48 8d b8 a0 fe ff ff 48 8d a9 a0 fe ff ff 49 39 c4 75 26 eb 47 e8 ed c1 66 ff <48> 8b 85 60 01 00 00 48 8d 95 60 01 00 00 48 89 ef 48 2d 60 01 00 RSP: 0000:ffffc90000bcfd00 EFLAGS: 00010286 RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffff88800edad000 RCX: 0000000000000000 RDX: 0000000000000001 RSI: ffffc90000bcfc30 RDI: 00000000ffffffff RBP: fffffffffffffea0 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000000 R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000001 R12: ffff88800edad050 R13: ffff8880065f8f88 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: ffff8880066c6680 FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff8880f3300000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 0000000000000000 CR3: 00000000e998c006 CR4: 00000000003706e0 Call Trace: <TASK> xennet_remove+0x13d/0x300 [xen_netfront] xenbus_dev_remove+0x6d/0xf0 __device_release_driver+0x17a/0x240 device_release_driver+0x24/0x30 bus_remove_device+0xd8/0x140 device_del+0x18b/0x410 ? _raw_spin_unlock+0x16/0x30 ? klist_iter_exit+0x14/0x20 ? xenbus_dev_request_and_reply+0x80/0x80 device_unregister+0x13/0x60 xenbus_dev_changed+0x18e/0x1f0 xenwatch_thread+0xc0/0x1a0 ? do_wait_intr_irq+0xa0/0xa0 kthread+0x16b/0x190 ? set_kthread_struct+0x40/0x40 ret_from_fork+0x22/0x30 </TASK> Fix this by calling xennet_destroy_queues() from xennet_uninit(), when real_num_tx_queues is still available. This ensures that queues are destroyed when real_num_tx_queues is set to 0, regardless of how unregister_netdev() was called. Originally reported at https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues/7257

How severe is CVE-2022-48914?

CVE-2022-48914 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.21% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2022-48914?

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.