hwmon: Handle failure to register sensor with thermal zone correctly
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 3 fixed, 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-476.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: hwmon: Handle failure to register sensor with thermal zone correctly If an attempt is made to a sensor with a thermal zone and it fails, the call to devm_thermal_zone_of_sensor_register() may return -ENODEV. This may result in crashes similar to the following. Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 00000000000003cd ... Internal error: Oops: 96000021 [#1] PREEMPT SMP ... pstate: 60400009 (nZCv daif +PAN -UAO -TCO -DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--) pc : mutex_lock+0x18/0x60 lr : thermal_zone_device_update+0x40/0x2e0 sp : ffff800014c4fc60 x29: ffff800014c4fc60 x28: ffff365ee3f6e000 x27: ffffdde218426790 x26: ffff365ee3f6e000 x25: 0000000000000000 x24: ffff365ee3f6e000 x23: ffffdde218426870 x22: ffff365ee3f6e000 x21: 00000000000003cd x20: ffff365ee8bf3308 x19: ffffffffffffffed x18: 0000000000000000 x17: ffffdde21842689c x16: ffffdde1cb7a0b7c x15: 0000000000000040 x14: ffffdde21a4889a0 x13: 0000000000000228 x12: 0000000000000000 x11: 0000000000000000 x10: 0000000000000000 x9 : 0000000000000000 x8 : 0000000001120000 x7 : 0000000000000001 x6 : 0000000000000000 x5 : 0068000878e20f07 x4 : 0000000000000000 x3 : 00000000000003cd x2 : ffff365ee3f6e000 x1 : 0000000000000000 x0 : 00000000000003cd Call trace: mutex_lock+0x18/0x60 hwmon_notify_event+0xfc/0x110 0xffffdde1cb7a0a90 0xffffdde1cb7a0b7c irq_thread_fn+0x2c/0xa0 irq_thread+0x134/0x240 kthread+0x178/0x190 ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 Code: d503201f d503201f d2800001 aa0103e4 (c8e47c02) Jon Hunter reports that the exact call sequence is: hwmon_notify_event() --> hwmon_thermal_notify() --> thermal_zone_device_update() --> update_temperature() --> mutex_lock() The hwmon core needs to handle all errors returned from calls to devm_thermal_zone_of_sensor_register(). If the call fails with -ENODEV, report that the sensor was not attached to a thermal zone but continue to register the hwmon device.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 5.8 and later | 5.10.103, 5.15.26, 5.16.12, 5.17 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.8 and later Fixed in 5.10.103, 5.15.26, 5.16.12, 5.17 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.8 to before 5.10.103; 5.11 to before 5.15.26; 5.16 to before 5.16.12 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.8 to before 5.10.103; 5.11 to before 5.15.26; 5.16 to before 5.16.12 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.103, 5.15.26, 5.16.12, 5.17
Red Hat 1 advisory
- RHSA-2023:2458 Released 2023-05-09 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-284.11.1.el9_2, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-284.11.1.el9_2, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-284.11.1.el9_2 +10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) bpftool-7.0.0-284.11.1.el9_2, kernel-5.14.0-284.11.1.el9_2, kernel-64k-5.14.0-284.11.1.el9_2 +29
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 9) kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-284.11.1.el9_2
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:2458 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:2458 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:2458 |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2022-48942
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-8g6r-2qgw-fhv7
- 2026-10-29 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
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Sources
- CVE-2022-48942 · CVE Program
- CVE-2022-48942 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-8g6r-2qgw-fhv7 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2022-48942 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences