CVE-2022-48941: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ice: fix concurrent reset and removal of VFs Commit c503e63200c6 ("ice: Stop pro...

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ice: fix concurrent reset and removal of VFs Commit c503e63200c6 ("ice: Stop processing VF messages during teardown") introduced a driver state flag, ICE_VF_DEINIT_IN_PROGRESS, which is intended to prevent some issues with concurrently handling messages from VFs while tearing down the VFs. This change was motivated by crashes caused while tearing down and bringing up VFs in rapid succession. It turns out that the fix actually introduces issues with the VF driver caused because the PF no longer responds to any messages sent by the VF during its .remove routine. This results in the VF potentially removing its DMA memory before the PF has shut down the device queues. Additionally, the fix doesn't actually resolve concurrency issues within the ice driver. It is possible for a VF to initiate a reset just prior to the ice driver removing VFs. This can result in the remove task concurrently operating while the VF is being reset. This results in similar memory corruption and panics purportedly fixed by that commit. Fix this concurrency at its root by protecting both the reset and removal flows using the existing VF cfg_lock. This ensures that we cannot remove the VF while any outstanding critical tasks such as a virtchnl message or a reset are occurring. This locking change also fixes the root cause originally fixed by commit c503e63200c6 ("ice: Stop processing VF messages during teardown"), so we can simply revert it. Note that I kept these two changes together because simply reverting the original commit alone would leave the driver vulnerable to worse race conditions.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

4.7/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.16%

6.0th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-362

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux Kernel	< 5.10.104
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.11, < 5.15.26
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.16, < 5.16.12

References

Timeline

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-48941?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ice: fix concurrent reset and removal of VFs Commit c503e63200c6 ("ice: Stop processing VF messages during teardown") introduced a driver state flag, ICE_VF_DEINIT_IN_PROGRESS, which is intended to prevent some issues with concurrently handling messages from VFs while tearing down the VFs. This change was motivated by crashes caused while tearing down and bringing up VFs in rapid succession. It turns out that the fix actually introduces issues with the VF driver caused because the PF no longer responds to any messages sent by the VF during its .remove routine. This results in the VF potentially removing its DMA memory before the PF has shut down the device queues. Additionally, the fix doesn't actually resolve concurrency issues within the ice driver. It is possible for a VF to initiate a reset just prior to the ice driver removing VFs. This can result in the remove task concurrently operating while the VF is being reset. This results in similar memory corruption and panics purportedly fixed by that commit. Fix this concurrency at its root by protecting both the reset and removal flows using the existing VF cfg_lock. This ensures that we cannot remove the VF while any outstanding critical tasks such as a virtchnl message or a reset are occurring. This locking change also fixes the root cause originally fixed by commit c503e63200c6 ("ice: Stop processing VF messages during teardown"), so we can simply revert it. Note that I kept these two changes together because simply reverting the original commit alone would leave the driver vulnerable to worse race conditions.

How severe is CVE-2022-48941?

CVE-2022-48941 has a CVSS score of 4.7/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.16% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2022-48941?

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.