CVE-2022-48722

What it actually does

Memory leak of skb structures in the ieee802154 ca8210 driver when transmission errors occur because ieee802154_xmit_complete() is skipped and only ieee802154_wake_queue() is invoked.

Why it matters to the business

Gradual kernel memory exhaustion on affected Linux systems using IEEE 802.15.4 wireless hardware can lead to performance degradation or instability over time, particularly in embedded or IoT deployments.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker with local or adjacent access to trigger repeated error paths in the ca8210 transmission routine causes skb allocations to leak without being freed, eventually exhausting memory; no public exploitation or named threat actor activity is associated with this issue.

How to fix it

Update the Linux kernel to include commit a1c277b0ed2a13e7de923b5f03bc23586eceb851 or apply the equivalent fix that ensures skb is freed on error before returning from the transmit path.

How to confirm the fix worked

Verify the presence of commit a1c277b0ed2a13e7de923b5f03bc23586eceb851 in the kernel source tree or confirm the patched behavior in ieee802154_xmit_complete handling for the ca8210 driver.

Typical attack path

1. Obtain ability to interact with ieee802154 interface on target system
2. Induce transmission errors in the ca8210 driver
3. Repeat error conditions to accumulate leaked skb structures
4. Monitor for memory pressure or system instability

How to detect it

Review kernel memory statistics and dmesg logs for repeated allocation patterns around ieee802154 or ca8210 transmit functions; no specific post-exploitation artifacts are known.

What your security team should do

• Prioritize kernel updates on systems exposing ieee802154 or ca8210 hardware
• Monitor memory usage trends on affected devices
• Restrict untrusted local access where possible until patched