A recently discovered vulnerability in the Linux kernel (CVE-2023-52585) has gained attention not only for its security implications, but also for its impact on system stability. The issue stems from the drm/amdgpu module, where a possible NULL dereference could occur in the amdgpu_ras_query_error_status_helper() function. This vulnerability has now been resolved with the Linux kernel patch that addresses the possible NULL dereference and returns an invalid error code for an invalid block ID.
The Exploit Details
The exploit was initially reported in the Linux kernel bug tracking system and is particularly concerning because of its potential impact on system stability. In some cases, the vulnerability could result in a system crash due to the NULL pointer dereference.
The key area of concern lies within the amdgpu_ras_query_error_status_helper() function, where a pointer, 'info,’ was previously assumed to be potentially NULL. This could lead to the dereference of a NULL pointer and consequently, a system crash.
Here is the original code snippet which displayed the issue
drivers/gpu/drm/amd/amdgpu/amdgpu_ras.c:1183 amdgpu_ras_query_error_status_helper() error: we previously assumed 'info' could be null (see line 1176)
The Fix
To address this exploit, a patch has been submitted and merged into the Linux kernel, which prevents the NULL pointer dereference by returning an appropriate error code when an invalid block ID is detected.
The modified code snippet now resolves the issue as follows
/* Handle invalid block id */
if (!info)
return -EINVAL;
By implementing this fix, the amdgpu_ras_query_error_status_helper() function now returns an invalid error code (-EINVAL) when faced with an invalid block ID, thus preventing any NULL dereference in the process.
The detailed Linux kernel patch description is available at the following link
The CVE-2023-52585 record can be found in the following National Vulnerability Database (NVD) link
[https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-52585].
Conclusion
The resolution of this vulnerability (CVE-2023-52585) is crucial in ensuring the stability and security of Linux systems. Users and system administrators are strongly advised to update their Linux kernels to implement the patch and protect their systems from potential crashes caused by the previously possible NULL dereference in the drm/amdgpu module.
Timeline
Published on: 03/06/2024 07:15:07 UTC
Last modified on: 06/27/2024 14:15:12 UTC