CVE-2022-48690 is a vulnerability identified in the Linux kernel's network driver subsystem, specifically related to the 'ice' driver which manages Intel Ethernet devices. The flaw involves a DMA (Direct Memory Access) mappings leak occurring during the reallocation of RX (receive) buffers when ring parameters are changed. In detail, when the RX buffers are reallocated, new DMA mappings are created for these buffers. However, the older buffers, which should be replaced by the new ones, are freed incorrectly in the function ice_vsi_cfg_rxq and then reallocated again with ice_alloc_rx_buf. The kernel function kfree is called on the rx_buf structure, but this causes a leak of the already mapped DMA memory because the DMA mappings are not properly unmapped before freeing the buffer. This leads to a resource leak at the DMA mapping level. Additionally, the vulnerability involves the handling of BPF (Berkeley Packet Filter) programs and XDP (eXpress Data Path) zero-copy buffers (ZC). When BPF programs are loaded or unloaded, and XSK (XDP socket) pools are created, RX queues need to be reallocated accordingly. The improper handling of these reallocations contributes to the vulnerability. The vulnerability can be reproduced by repeatedly changing RX and TX ring parameters on the network interface using ethtool commands in a loop, which triggers the flawed reallocation logic. This leak could potentially degrade system performance or stability over time due to exhaustion of DMA mapping resources. While no known exploits are reported in the wild, the issue affects Linux kernel versions identified by specific commits and is relevant to systems using the Intel 'ice' network driver. The vulnerability was published on May 3, 2024, and no CVSS score has been assigned yet.

For European organizations, particularly those operating data centers, cloud infrastructure, or critical network services on Linux systems with Intel 'ice' network adapters, this vulnerability poses a risk of resource exhaustion leading to degraded network performance or system instability. Over time, the DMA mapping leak could cause network interfaces to malfunction or crash, potentially disrupting business-critical applications and services. Organizations relying on high-throughput networking or those running BPF/XDP-based packet processing for performance or security monitoring could be especially impacted. Although exploitation does not appear to allow direct code execution or privilege escalation, the denial of service through resource leakage can affect availability, which is critical for sectors like finance, telecommunications, healthcare, and government services prevalent in Europe. The vulnerability also complicates the management of network interfaces when dynamically adjusting ring parameters or deploying BPF programs, which are common in modern Linux networking stacks. Given the widespread use of Linux in enterprise environments across Europe, the potential for operational disruption is significant if unpatched systems are exposed to workloads that trigger this flaw.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should prioritize applying the latest Linux kernel patches that address CVE-2022-48690, specifically those that fix the DMA mapping leak in the 'ice' driver. Kernel updates should be tested and deployed promptly in production environments. Network administrators should avoid frequent or automated changes to RX/TX ring parameters on affected interfaces until patches are applied. For systems utilizing BPF/XDP programs and XSK pools, careful management and validation of RX queue reallocations are necessary to prevent triggering the leak. Monitoring tools should be enhanced to detect abnormal DMA resource usage or network interface errors that may indicate the presence of this issue. Additionally, organizations should review their network driver versions and hardware inventory to identify systems using Intel 'ice' adapters and prioritize remediation accordingly. In environments where immediate patching is not feasible, consider isolating affected systems or limiting network interface reconfiguration activities to reduce exposure. Engaging with Linux distribution vendors for backported fixes and security advisories is also recommended to ensure timely updates.