CVE-2022-48893

What it actually does

During Intel GPU driver initialization in the Linux kernel, if engine discovery is aborted midway, incompletely initialized engines with null release functions cause allocated common objects to be leaked.

Why it matters to the business

Repeated driver initialization failures could gradually deplete system memory, leading to instability or crashes on affected systems with Intel graphics; the issue is present across many Linux distributions using the i915 driver.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker would need to trigger repeated partial failures in the i915 driver initialization, which is typically not controllable by unprivileged users and occurs during boot or module load; no named threat actors or campaigns are associated with this issue.

How to fix it

Update the Linux kernel to a version containing commit 78350c36fb15afef423404a83dcbc5c558dce795 or later in the stable tree.

How to confirm the fix worked

Verify the presence of the fix commit in the kernel source tree or confirm updated kernel packages from the distribution vendor have been installed.

Typical attack path

1. Cause conditions leading to partial engine discovery failure during i915 initialization
2. Abort driver initialization
3. Trigger repeated initialization attempts to accumulate leaks

How to detect it

Inspect kernel logs for i915 initialization failures and track memory usage patterns associated with graphics driver load attempts.

What your security team should do

• Apply the kernel update containing the referenced fix commit promptly
• Review i915 driver logs for initialization errors on affected systems
• Monitor memory consumption trends on systems with Intel graphics hardware