CVE-2023-52772: Vulnerability in Linux Linux

Severity: highType: vulnerabilityCVE-2023-52772

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: af_unix: fix use-after-free in unix_stream_read_actor() syzbot reported the following crash [1] After releasing unix socket lock, u->oob_skb can be changed by another thread. We must temporarily increase skb refcount to make sure this other thread will not free the skb under us. [1] BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in unix_stream_read_actor+0xa7/0xc0 net/unix/af_unix.c:2866 Read of size 4 at addr ffff88801f3b9cc4 by task syz-executor107/5297 CPU: 1 PID: 5297 Comm: syz-executor107 Not tainted 6.6.0-syzkaller-15910-gb8e3a87a627b #0 Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 10/09/2023 Call Trace: <TASK> __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:88 [inline] dump_stack_lvl+0xd9/0x1b0 lib/dump_stack.c:106 print_address_description mm/kasan/report.c:364 [inline] print_report+0xc4/0x620 mm/kasan/report.c:475 kasan_report+0xda/0x110 mm/kasan/report.c:588 unix_stream_read_actor+0xa7/0xc0 net/unix/af_unix.c:2866 unix_stream_recv_urg net/unix/af_unix.c:2587 [inline] unix_stream_read_generic+0x19a5/0x2480 net/unix/af_unix.c:2666 unix_stream_recvmsg+0x189/0x1b0 net/unix/af_unix.c:2903 sock_recvmsg_nosec net/socket.c:1044 [inline] sock_recvmsg+0xe2/0x170 net/socket.c:1066 ____sys_recvmsg+0x21f/0x5c0 net/socket.c:2803 ___sys_recvmsg+0x115/0x1a0 net/socket.c:2845 __sys_recvmsg+0x114/0x1e0 net/socket.c:2875 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:51 [inline] do_syscall_64+0x3f/0x110 arch/x86/entry/common.c:82 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0x6b RIP: 0033:0x7fc67492c559 Code: 28 00 00 00 75 05 48 83 c4 28 c3 e8 51 18 00 00 90 48 89 f8 48 89 f7 48 89 d6 48 89 ca 4d 89 c2 4d 89 c8 4c 8b 4c 24 08 0f 05 <48> 3d 01 f0 ff ff 73 01 c3 48 c7 c1 b0 ff ff ff f7 d8 64 89 01 48 RSP: 002b:00007fc6748ab228 EFLAGS: 00000246 ORIG_RAX: 000000000000002f RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 000000000000001c RCX: 00007fc67492c559 RDX: 0000000040010083 RSI: 0000000020000140 RDI: 0000000000000004 RBP: 00007fc6749b6348 R08: 00007fc6748ab6c0 R09: 00007fc6748ab6c0 R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000246 R12: 00007fc6749b6340 R13: 00007fc6749b634c R14: 00007ffe9fac52a0 R15: 00007ffe9fac5388 </TASK> Allocated by task 5295: kasan_save_stack+0x33/0x50 mm/kasan/common.c:45 kasan_set_track+0x25/0x30 mm/kasan/common.c:52 __kasan_slab_alloc+0x81/0x90 mm/kasan/common.c:328 kasan_slab_alloc include/linux/kasan.h:188 [inline] slab_post_alloc_hook mm/slab.h:763 [inline] slab_alloc_node mm/slub.c:3478 [inline] kmem_cache_alloc_node+0x180/0x3c0 mm/slub.c:3523 __alloc_skb+0x287/0x330 net/core/skbuff.c:641 alloc_skb include/linux/skbuff.h:1286 [inline] alloc_skb_with_frags+0xe4/0x710 net/core/skbuff.c:6331 sock_alloc_send_pskb+0x7e4/0x970 net/core/sock.c:2780 sock_alloc_send_skb include/net/sock.h:1884 [inline] queue_oob net/unix/af_unix.c:2147 [inline] unix_stream_sendmsg+0xb5f/0x10a0 net/unix/af_unix.c:2301 sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:730 [inline] __sock_sendmsg+0xd5/0x180 net/socket.c:745 ____sys_sendmsg+0x6ac/0x940 net/socket.c:2584 ___sys_sendmsg+0x135/0x1d0 net/socket.c:2638 __sys_sendmsg+0x117/0x1e0 net/socket.c:2667 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:51 [inline] do_syscall_64+0x3f/0x110 arch/x86/entry/common.c:82 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0x6b Freed by task 5295: kasan_save_stack+0x33/0x50 mm/kasan/common.c:45 kasan_set_track+0x25/0x30 mm/kasan/common.c:52 kasan_save_free_info+0x2b/0x40 mm/kasan/generic.c:522 ____kasan_slab_free mm/kasan/common.c:236 [inline] ____kasan_slab_free+0x15b/0x1b0 mm/kasan/common.c:200 kasan_slab_free include/linux/kasan.h:164 [inline] slab_free_hook mm/slub.c:1800 [inline] slab_free_freelist_hook+0x114/0x1e0 mm/slub.c:1826 slab_free mm/slub.c:3809 [inline] kmem_cache_free+0xf8/0x340 mm/slub.c:3831 kfree_skbmem+0xef/0x1b0 net/core/skbuff.c:1015 __kfree_skb net/core/skbuff.c:1073 [inline] consume_skb net/core/skbuff.c:1288 [inline] consume_skb+0xdf/0x170 net/core/skbuff.c:1282 queue_oob net/unix/af_unix.c:2178 [inline] u ---truncated---

AI Analysis

Technical Summary

CVE-2023-52772 is a use-after-free vulnerability identified in the Linux kernel's AF_UNIX socket implementation, specifically within the function unix_stream_read_actor(). The vulnerability arises due to a race condition where, after releasing the unix socket lock, the pointer u->oob_skb (out-of-band socket buffer) can be modified by another thread. This leads to a scenario where the original thread may access a freed skb (socket buffer), causing a use-after-free condition. The kernel's Kernel Address Sanitizer (KASAN) detected this flaw during fuzz testing by syzbot, which reported a slab-use-after-free error. The root cause is that the skb reference count is not temporarily incremented before releasing the lock, allowing concurrent threads to free the skb while it is still in use. This vulnerability can lead to kernel crashes (denial of service) or potentially enable an attacker to execute arbitrary code in kernel space, depending on exploitation complexity and conditions. The issue affects Linux kernel version 6.6.0 and likely other versions with similar AF_UNIX socket code. The vulnerability is subtle and involves low-level kernel memory management and concurrency control within the networking subsystem. No public exploits are known at this time, and no CVSS score has been assigned yet. The patch involves increasing the skb reference count temporarily to prevent premature freeing during concurrent access.

Potential Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk primarily to systems running vulnerable Linux kernel versions, especially servers and infrastructure relying on UNIX domain sockets for inter-process communication. Exploitation could lead to kernel panics causing denial of service, impacting availability of critical services. In worst cases, if exploited for arbitrary code execution, it could compromise system integrity and confidentiality, allowing privilege escalation or unauthorized access to sensitive data. Given Linux's widespread use in European data centers, cloud providers, and embedded systems, the impact could be broad. Critical infrastructure, financial institutions, and government agencies using Linux-based systems are particularly at risk. The vulnerability's exploitation complexity is moderate due to the need for concurrent thread manipulation and kernel-level access, but insider threats or sophisticated attackers could leverage it. Disruption of services or compromise of sensitive systems could have cascading effects on business operations and national security within Europe.

Mitigation Recommendations

European organizations should prioritize updating their Linux kernels to versions where this vulnerability is patched. Since the vulnerability involves kernel-level concurrency and memory management, applying official kernel patches or upgrading to the latest stable kernel releases is the most effective mitigation. For environments where immediate patching is not feasible, organizations should restrict access to systems running vulnerable kernels, especially limiting untrusted user access and inter-process communication over UNIX sockets. Employing kernel hardening techniques such as Kernel Address Sanitizer (KASAN) in testing environments can help detect similar issues proactively. Additionally, monitoring kernel logs for unusual crashes or KASAN reports can provide early warning signs. Containerized and virtualized environments should ensure host kernels are patched, as container escapes could exploit this flaw. Finally, organizations should review and restrict multi-threaded applications interacting with UNIX sockets to minimize race conditions and concurrent access risks.