Memory Leak in ACPI: scan
Summary
UVI-2021-1000319: ACPI: scan: Fix a memory leak in an error handling path. Affects Kernel versions >= 4a5891992c680d69d7e490e4d0428d17779d8e85, < e2381174daeae0ca35eddffef02dcc8de8c1ef8a. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
Check if this vulnerability affects your application
Upload a manifest or SBOM and we'll show whether you're affected, plus every other risky package in the same scan.
No signup required · Results in about 60 seconds
Background
The ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) subsystem is responsible for managing power and configuration settings on Linux systems. It provides an interface between the operating system and the hardware, allowing the OS to control various aspects of power management and device configuration. The ACPI scan function is used to detect and initialize ACPI devices during system boot. However, a memory leak vulnerability has been identified in the error handling path of the ACPI scan function.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the ACPI scan function can lead to a memory leak. When an error occurs during device detection and initialization, memory allocated for the device structure is not properly freed, resulting in a memory leak. This can lead to a gradual depletion of system memory resources, potentially causing system instability or denial of service. The vulnerability was introduced in Linux Kernel version v5.10.27 and has been fixed in version v5.10.38.
How To Fix
No fixed version is published for this vulnerability.
Tip — Not sure whether your app is affected? Vulert can check the versions your app actually runs. Scan free →
Workaround
As a workaround, you can disable ACPI device scanning during system boot. This can be achieved by adding the 'acpi=off' parameter to the kernel command line in the bootloader configuration. However, disabling ACPI may result in limited power management capabilities and reduced functionality for ACPI-dependent devices.
Conclusion
The memory leak vulnerability in the ACPI scan function can be mitigated by updating the Linux Kernel to version v5.10.38 or later. Disabling ACPI device scanning during system boot can serve as a temporary workaround, but it may result in limited power management capabilities and reduced functionality for ACPI-dependent devices. For further support on vulnerability remediation, you can reach out to DevNack.com.
See every vulnerability recorded for Kernel →
FAQ
ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) is a standard for power management and device configuration on modern computer systems. It provides an interface between the operating system and the hardware, allowing the OS to control various aspects of power management and device behavior.
The ACPI scan function is responsible for detecting and initializing ACPI devices during system boot. It scans the system's ACPI tables to identify ACPI devices and creates device structures for them.
A memory leak is a type of software bug where allocated memory is not properly released after it is no longer needed. This can result in a gradual depletion of system memory resources, potentially leading to system instability or denial of service.
The memory leak in the ACPI scan function can lead to a gradual depletion of system memory resources. This can cause system instability, performance degradation, or even denial of service if the available memory is completely exhausted.
You can use tools like Vulert (https://vulert.com) to check if your system is affected by this vulnerability. Vulert uses a manifest file like package-lock.json to monitor and alert in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities in the software. You can also use the Vulert playground (https://vulert.com/scanner) without signing up to check if your application is affected.
Related vulnerabilities
Recent vulnerabilities recorded for Kernel.
