Linux Kernel NFC Virtual NCI Device Memory Leak Vulnerability

A memory leak vulnerability has been identified in the Linux kernel's NFC virtual NCI device driver. The issue arises in the 'virtual_nci_send' function, where the socket buffer (skb) is not properly freed. This oversight leads to unreferenced objects remaining in memory, which can be detected by the kernel's memory leak tracking system (kmemleak). The vulnerability has been addressed in the official Linux Git repository.

Impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability causes a memory leak, where allocated memory is not properly released, leading to increased memory usage and potential exhaustion of system resources over time.

Reproduction

The vulnerability can be reproduced by simulating the NFC virtual NCI device in QEMU. After compiling the necessary self-test tools, the 'nci_dev' application can be run, which will trigger the memory leak. The 'nci_dev' process will be seen holding onto an unreferenced object, which kmemleak will report as a memory leak.

Remediation

Users can upgrade to the latest version of the Linux kernel, where this vulnerability has been fixed.