Kernel crash via unreferenced device-private fault page
Published Oct 16, 2022 · Updated Apr 15, 2025
Use-after-free in Linux kernel device-private memory handling allows local users with device access to crash the kernel. The fault path calls the page's migrate_to_ram() callback without holding a page reference, so concurrent migration can free both the page and its pgmap and invalidate the function pointer. Triggering requires device-private ZONE_DEVICE memory and a race involving device unbinding, module unloading, or closing a device descriptor before task exit; the documented consequence is a kernel crash.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in Linux kernel device-private memory handling allows local users with device access to crash the kernel. The fault path calls the page's migrate_to_ram() callback without holding a page reference, so concurrent migration can free both the page and its pgmap and invalidate the function pointer. Triggering requires device-private ZONE_DEVICE memory and a race involving device unbinding, module unloading, or closing a device descriptor before task exit; the documented consequence is a kernel crash.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-3523
- Published
- Oct 16, 2022
- Updated
- Apr 15, 2025
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux Kernel
- Classifications
- CWE-119, CWE-416, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 16, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 15, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=n/a
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo