bpf: Fix UAF due to race between btf_try_get_module and load_module
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 3 fixed, 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-416 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Fix UAF due to race between btf_try_get_module and load_module While working on code to populate kfunc BTF ID sets for module BTF from its initcall, I noticed that by the time the initcall is invoked, the module BTF can already be seen by userspace (and the BPF verifier). The existing btf_try_get_module calls try_module_get which only fails if mod->state == MODULE_STATE_GOING, i.e. it can increment module reference when module initcall is happening in parallel. Currently, BTF parsing happens from MODULE_STATE_COMING notifier callback. At this point, the module initcalls have not been invoked. The notifier callback parses and prepares the module BTF, allocates an ID, which publishes it to userspace, and then adds it to the btf_modules list allowing the kernel to invoke btf_try_get_module for the BTF. However, at this point, the module has not been fully initialized (i.e. its initcalls have not finished). The code in module.c can still fail and free the module, without caring for other users. However, nothing stops btf_try_get_module from succeeding between the state transition from MODULE_STATE_COMING to MODULE_STATE_LIVE. This leads to a use-after-free issue when BPF program loads successfully in the state transition, load_module's do_init_module call fails and frees the module, and BPF program fd on close calls module_put for the freed module. Future patch has test case to verify we don't regress in this area in future. There are multiple points after prepare_coming_module (in load_module) where failure can occur and module loading can return error. We illustrate and test for the race using the last point where it can practically occur (in module __init function). An illustration of the race: CPU 0 CPU 1 load_module notifier_call(MODULE_STATE_COMING) btf_parse_module btf_alloc_id // Published to userspace list_add(&btf_mod->list, btf_modules) mod->init(...) ... ^ bpf_check | check_pseudo_btf_id | btf_try_get_module | returns true | ... ... | module __init in progress return prog_fd | ... ... V if (ret < 0) free_module(mod) ... close(prog_fd) ... bpf_prog_free_deferred module_put(used_btf.mod) // use-after-free We fix this issue by setting a flag BTF_MODULE_F_LIVE, from the notifier callback when MODULE_STATE_LIVE state is reached for the module, so that we return NULL from btf_try_get_module for modules that are not fully formed. Since try_module_get already checks that module is not in MODULE_STATE_GOING state, and that is the only transition a live module can make before being removed from btf_modules list, this is enough to close the race and prevent the bug. A later selftest patch crafts the race condition artifically to verify that it has been fixed, and that verifier fails to load program (with ENXIO). Lastly, a couple of comments: 1. Even if this race didn't exist, it seems more appropriate to only access resources (ksyms and kfuncs) of a fully formed module which has been initialized completely. 2. This patch was born out of need for synchronization against module initcall for the next patch, so it is needed for correctness even without the aforementioned race condition. The BTF resources initialized by module initcall are set up once and then only looked up, so just waiting until the initcall has finished ensures correct behavior.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
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 | 5.12 and later | 5.15.33, 5.16.19, 5.17.2, 5.18 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.12 and later Fixed in 5.15.33, 5.16.19, 5.17.2, 5.18 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.12 to before 5.15.33; 5.16 to before 5.16.19; 5.17 to before 5.17.2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.12 to before 5.15.33; 5.16 to before 5.16.19; 5.17 to before 5.17.2 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.15.33, 5.16.19, 5.17.2, 5.18
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 8 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet |
| 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: 3 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2022-49236
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-m3vm-45hm-666q
References
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
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- TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
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- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2022-49236 · CVE Program
- CVE-2022-49236 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-m3vm-45hm-666q · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2022-49236 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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