CVE-2022-49461 in Linux
Summary
by MITRE • 02/26/2025
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
amt: fix memory leak for advertisement message
When a gateway receives an advertisement message, it extracts relay information and then it should be freed. But the advertisement handler doesn't free it. So, memory leak would occur.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/26/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-49461 represents a memory leak issue within the Linux kernel's Advanced Management Technology (AMT) implementation. This flaw specifically affects the handling of advertisement messages processed by AMT gateways, which are critical components in enterprise computing environments for remote system management and monitoring. The vulnerability resides in the kernel's AMT subsystem that manages communication between management controllers and remote administrators, making it particularly concerning for organizations relying on these management protocols for system maintenance and security operations.
The technical flaw manifests in the advertisement message processing routine where the kernel fails to properly release memory resources after extracting relay information from incoming advertisement messages. When an AMT gateway receives an advertisement message, it must parse and extract specific relay information fields to facilitate proper network communication and management operations. However, the current implementation does not include proper memory deallocation for the extracted relay information structure, causing the kernel to retain these memory segments indefinitely. This memory management oversight results in a gradual accumulation of unreleased memory blocks that persist throughout the system's operational lifetime, ultimately leading to memory exhaustion and potential system instability.
The operational impact of this memory leak vulnerability extends beyond simple resource consumption, potentially affecting system availability and performance in enterprise environments where AMT gateways are actively processing management messages. The leak occurs each time an advertisement message is received and processed, meaning that systems continuously consuming these management messages will experience progressive memory degradation. Network administrators and system operators may observe decreasing available system memory, increased swap usage, and potentially system crashes or performance degradation over time. This vulnerability particularly affects servers and workstations that are configured to operate as AMT gateways and receive regular advertisement messages from management controllers or other network components.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-401, which describes improper management of memory allocation and deallocation, specifically focusing on memory leaks that occur when allocated memory is not properly freed. The issue demonstrates a classic memory management error in kernel space code where resource cleanup operations are omitted during normal processing flows. The vulnerability also relates to ATT&CK technique T1059.003, which covers scripting and command execution, as memory leaks can potentially be exploited by attackers to cause system instability or resource exhaustion attacks that could disrupt normal management operations. Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including kernel updates, memory monitoring, and system hardening measures to address this vulnerability. The recommended approach involves applying the patched kernel version that properly implements memory deallocation for the relay information structures, while also establishing monitoring procedures to detect unusual memory consumption patterns that might indicate the vulnerability's exploitation.