CVE-2022-49201: ibmvnic: fix race between xmit and reset
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ibmvnic: fix race between xmit and reset
There is a race between reset and the transmit paths that can lead to
ibmvnic_xmit() accessing an scrq after it has been freed in the reset
path. It can result in a crash like:
Kernel attempted to read user page (0) - exploit attempt? (uid: 0)
BUG: Kernel NULL pointer dereference on read at 0x00000000
Faulting instruction address: 0xc0080000016189f8
Oops: Kernel access of bad area, sig: 11 [#1]
...
NIP [c0080000016189f8] ibmvnic_xmit+0x60/0xb60 [ibmvnic]
LR [c000000000c0046c] dev_hard_start_xmit+0x11c/0x280
Call Trace:
[c008000001618f08] ibmvnic_xmit+0x570/0xb60 [ibmvnic] (unreliable)
[c000000000c0046c] dev_hard_start_xmit+0x11c/0x280
[c000000000c9cfcc] sch_direct_xmit+0xec/0x330
[c000000000bfe640] __dev_xmit_skb+0x3a0/0x9d0
[c000000000c00ad4] __dev_queue_xmit+0x394/0x730
[c008000002db813c] __bond_start_xmit+0x254/0x450 [bonding]
[c008000002db8378] bond_start_xmit+0x40/0xc0 [bonding]
[c000000000c0046c] dev_hard_start_xmit+0x11c/0x280
[c000000000c00ca4] __dev_queue_xmit+0x564/0x730
[c000000000cf97e0] neigh_hh_output+0xd0/0x180
[c000000000cfa69c] ip_finish_output2+0x31c/0x5c0
[c000000000cfd244] __ip_queue_xmit+0x194/0x4f0
[c000000000d2a3c4] __tcp_transmit_skb+0x434/0x9b0
[c000000000d2d1e0] __tcp_retransmit_skb+0x1d0/0x6a0
[c000000000d2d984] tcp_retransmit_skb+0x34/0x130
[c000000000d310e8] tcp_retransmit_timer+0x388/0x6d0
[c000000000d315ec] tcp_write_timer_handler+0x1bc/0x330
[c000000000d317bc] tcp_write_timer+0x5c/0x200
[c000000000243270] call_timer_fn+0x50/0x1c0
[c000000000243704] __run_timers.part.0+0x324/0x460
[c000000000243894] run_timer_softirq+0x54/0xa0
[c000000000ea713c] __do_softirq+0x15c/0x3e0
[c000000000166258] __irq_exit_rcu+0x158/0x190
[c000000000166420] irq_exit+0x20/0x40
[c00000000002853c] timer_interrupt+0x14c/0x2b0
[c000000000009a00] decrementer_common_virt+0x210/0x220
--- interrupt: 900 at plpar_hcall_norets_notrace+0x18/0x2c
The immediate cause of the crash is the access of tx_scrq in the following
snippet during a reset, where the tx_scrq can be either NULL or an address
that will soon be invalid:
ibmvnic_xmit()
{
...
tx_scrq = adapter->tx_scrq[queue_num];
txq = netdev_get_tx_queue(netdev, queue_num);
ind_bufp = &tx_scrq->ind_buf;
if (test_bit(0, &adapter->resetting)) {
...
}
But beyond that, the call to ibmvnic_xmit() itself is not safe during a
reset and the reset path attempts to avoid this by stopping the queue in
ibmvnic_cleanup(). However just after the queue was stopped, an in-flight
ibmvnic_complete_tx() could have restarted the queue even as the reset is
progressing.
Since the queue was restarted we could get a call to ibmvnic_xmit() which
can then access the bad tx_scrq (or other fields).
We cannot however simply have ibmvnic_complete_tx() check the ->resetting
bit and skip starting the queue. This can race at the "back-end" of a good
reset which just restarted the queue but has not cleared the ->resetting
bit yet. If we skip restarting the queue due to ->resetting being true,
the queue would remain stopped indefinitely potentially leading to transmit
timeouts.
IOW ->resetting is too broad for this purpose. Instead use a new flag
that indicates whether or not the queues are active. Only the open/
reset paths control when the queues are active. ibmvnic_complete_tx()
and others wake up the queue only if the queue is marked active.
So we will have:
A. reset/open thread in ibmvnic_cleanup() and __ibmvnic_open()
->resetting = true
->tx_queues_active = false
disable tx queues
...
->tx_queues_active = true
start tx queues
B. Tx interrupt in ibmvnic_complete_tx():
if (->tx_queues_active)
netif_wake_subqueue();
To ensure that ->tx_queues_active and state of the queues are consistent,
we need a lock which:
- must also be taken in the interrupt path (ibmvnic_complete_tx())
- shared across the multiple
---truncated---
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2022-49201 is a Linux kernel availability flaw in the ibmvnic network driver. During a reset, transmit handling can touch a freed or null queue structure, causing a kernel crash. The public record does not show data theft or privilege escalation impact.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted availability risk, not a broad compromise issue. Patch through normal kernel maintenance, with higher priority for critical systems that rely on ibmvnic networking.
Technical view
The flaw is a race between ibmvnic reset and transmit paths. ibmvnic_xmit() can access tx_scrq after reset cleanup frees or invalidates it. The fix introduces a queue-active state so completion paths only wake transmit queues when reset or open paths have marked them active.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on Linux systems using the ibmvnic driver on affected kernel versions. The source lists Linux as affected and references stable kernel commits, but the bundle does not provide distribution-specific package status.
Exploitation context
The CVSS vector is local, high complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, and availability-only impact. KEV is false, and the provided sources do not state active exploitation or public weaponization.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports CWE-476 and a reset/transmit race leading to kernel crash. The supplied version data is not enough to determine every affected downstream build, so validation should use vendor backport status rather than upstream version strings alone.
Mitigation direction
Identify systems running the Linux ibmvnic driver.
Check vendor or distribution kernel advisories for CVE-2022-49201 status.
Update to a kernel containing the referenced stable fixes.
Prioritize hosts where ibmvnic outages would affect production availability.
Validation and detection
Inventory kernel versions and loaded network drivers on affected platforms.
Confirm whether ibmvnic is present and actively used.
Map installed kernels against vendor advisories or upstream fixed commits.
Review crash logs for ibmvnic_xmit or NULL pointer dereference traces.
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Potential ATT&CK relevance
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
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cwe · low confidence lookup
CWE-476: Exact CWE lookup
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CWE-476 · source CWE mapping
NULL Pointer Dereference
NULL Pointer Dereference represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.