CVE-2020-36789
Linux Kernel CAN Network Stack NULL Pointer Dereference Vulnerability
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: can: dev: can_get_echo_skb(): prevent call to kfree_skb() in hard IRQ context If a driver calls can_get_echo_skb() during a hardware IRQ (which is often, but not always, the case), the 'WARN_ON(in_irq)' in net/core/skbuff.c#skb_release_head_state() might be triggered, under network congestion circumstances, together with the potential risk of a NULL pointer dereference. The root cause of this issue is the call to kfree_skb() instead of dev_kfree_skb_irq() in net/core/dev.c#enqueue_to_backlog(). This patch prevents the skb to be freed within the call to netif_rx() by incrementing its reference count with skb_get(). The skb is finally freed by one of the in-irq-context safe functions: dev_consume_skb_any() or dev_kfree_skb_any(). The "any" version is used because some drivers might call can_get_echo_skb() in a normal context. The reason for this issue to occur is that initially, in the core network stack, loopback skb were not supposed to be received in hardware IRQ context. The CAN stack is an exeption. This bug was previously reported back in 2017 in [1] but the proposed patch never got accepted. While [1] directly modifies net/core/dev.c, we try to propose here a smoother modification local to CAN network stack (the assumption behind is that only CAN devices are affected by this issue). [1] http://lore.kernel.org/r/[email protected]
INFO
Published Date :
April 17, 2025, 6:15 p.m.
Last Modified :
April 29, 2025, 6:55 p.m.
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Remotely Exploitable :
No
Impact Score :
3.6
Exploitability Score :
1.8
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2020-36789
.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2020-36789
vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2020-36789
vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
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Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Apr. 29, 2025
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Added CWE CWE-476 Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.10:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.10:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 2.6.31 up to (excluding) 4.4.244 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 4.10 up to (excluding) 4.14.207 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 4.15 up to (excluding) 4.19.158 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 4.20 up to (excluding) 5.4.78 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 4.5 up to (excluding) 4.9.244 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 5.5 up to (excluding) 5.9.9 Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2283f79b22684d2812e5c76fc2280aae00390365 Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/248b71ce92d4f3a574b2537f9838f48e892618f4 Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3a922a85701939624484e7f2fd07d32beed00d25 Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/451187b20431924d13fcfecc500d7cd2d9951bac Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7e4cf2ec0ca236c3e5f904239cec6efe1f3baf22 Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/87530b557affe01c764de32dbeb58cdf47234574 Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ab46748bf98864f9c3f5559060bf8caf9df2b41e Types: Patch -
New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Apr. 17, 2025
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: can: dev: can_get_echo_skb(): prevent call to kfree_skb() in hard IRQ context If a driver calls can_get_echo_skb() during a hardware IRQ (which is often, but not always, the case), the 'WARN_ON(in_irq)' in net/core/skbuff.c#skb_release_head_state() might be triggered, under network congestion circumstances, together with the potential risk of a NULL pointer dereference. The root cause of this issue is the call to kfree_skb() instead of dev_kfree_skb_irq() in net/core/dev.c#enqueue_to_backlog(). This patch prevents the skb to be freed within the call to netif_rx() by incrementing its reference count with skb_get(). The skb is finally freed by one of the in-irq-context safe functions: dev_consume_skb_any() or dev_kfree_skb_any(). The "any" version is used because some drivers might call can_get_echo_skb() in a normal context. The reason for this issue to occur is that initially, in the core network stack, loopback skb were not supposed to be received in hardware IRQ context. The CAN stack is an exeption. This bug was previously reported back in 2017 in [1] but the proposed patch never got accepted. While [1] directly modifies net/core/dev.c, we try to propose here a smoother modification local to CAN network stack (the assumption behind is that only CAN devices are affected by this issue). [1] http://lore.kernel.org/r/[email protected] Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2283f79b22684d2812e5c76fc2280aae00390365 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/248b71ce92d4f3a574b2537f9838f48e892618f4 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3a922a85701939624484e7f2fd07d32beed00d25 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/451187b20431924d13fcfecc500d7cd2d9951bac Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7e4cf2ec0ca236c3e5f904239cec6efe1f3baf22 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/87530b557affe01c764de32dbeb58cdf47234574 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ab46748bf98864f9c3f5559060bf8caf9df2b41e
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2020-36789
is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2020-36789
weaknesses.