CVE-2022-48707

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

cxl/region: Fix null pointer dereference for resetting decoder

Not all decoders have a reset callback.

The CXL specification allows a host bridge with a single root port to have no explicit HDM decoders. Currently the region driver assumes there are none. As such the CXL core creates a special pass through decoder instance without a commit/reset callback.

Prior to this patch, the ->reset() callback was called unconditionally when calling cxl_region_decode_reset. Thus a configuration with 1 Host Bridge, 1 Root Port, and one directly attached CXL type 3 device or multiple CXL type 3 devices attached to downstream ports of a switch can cause a null pointer dereference.

Before the fix, a kernel crash was observed when we destroy the region, and a pass through decoder is reset.

The issue can be reproduced as below, 1) create a region with a CXL setup which includes a HB with a single root port under which a memdev is attached directly. 2) destroy the region with cxl destroy-region regionX -f.

Weakness

A NULL pointer dereference occurs when the application dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid, but is NULL, typically causing a crash or exit.

Affected Software

Potential Mitigations

References

• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4fa4302d6dc7de7e8e74dc7405611a2efb4bf54b
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a04c7d062b537ff787d00da95bdfe343260d4beb
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4fa4302d6dc7de7e8e74dc7405611a2efb4bf54b
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a04c7d062b537ff787d00da95bdfe343260d4beb