CVE-2024-42303

What it actually does

Missing error check after devm_regmap_init_mmio() in pxp_probe() allows an ERR_PTR value to be dereferenced, causing a kernel memory corruption condition on failure paths.

Why it matters to the business

Systems using i.MX hardware with the pxp driver may experience kernel panics or boot failures during driver initialization, leading to downtime for multimedia and graphics workloads across 510 downstream dependents.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker with local access or control over device tree/resources forces devm_regmap_init_mmio() to fail during probe; the unchecked error pointer is then dereferenced, triggering a crash or memory corruption that can be leveraged for denial of service or further kernel exploitation on affected Linux kernels.

How to fix it

Update the Linux kernel to a version containing commit 358bc85269d6a359fea597ef9fbb429cd3626e08 or later; rebuild and deploy the fixed kernel on all affected i.MX platforms.

How to confirm the fix worked

Verify the presence of the error check after devm_regmap_init_mmio() in pxp_probe() by inspecting the source or confirming the running kernel includes the referenced commit; test driver probe under failure injection.

Typical attack path

1. Gain ability to influence device initialization or device tree on target system
2. Trigger conditions causing regmap initialization to return an error pointer
3. Allow pxp_probe() to continue and dereference the invalid pointer
4. Observe resulting kernel oops/panic or memory corruption

How to detect it

Search kernel logs and dmesg for oops/panic messages referencing pxp_probe or regmap initialization failures around device probe time; correlate with boot or module load events on i.MX hardware.

What your security team should do

• Apply the kernel fix immediately on any systems exposing imx-pxp hardware
• Prioritize patching in environments with high uptime requirements for multimedia processing
• Monitor kernel logs for pxp-related probe failures until remediation is complete