Linux Kernel USB Device Leak Vulnerability in MCTP Driver

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's MCTP USB transport driver has been addressed, concerning a memory leak issue. The driver improperly managed references to USB devices, failing to release them during probe failures. This oversight could lead to unnecessary memory consumption and potential leaks. The vulnerability was present in the stable Linux kernel versions 6.1 through 6.15.

Impact

The vulnerability could cause a memory leak by failing to release USB device references on probe failures, potentially leading to increased memory usage and exhaustion over time.

Reproduction

The vulnerability can be reproduced by loading the MCTP USB transport driver in a Linux kernel version that is vulnerable, such as 6.1 to 6.15. When the driver is probed, it will take a reference to the USB device. If the probe fails, the driver does not release this reference, causing a memory leak. This issue can be observed by monitoring memory usage or by using tools that detect memory leaks in kernel drivers.

Remediation

Users can upgrade to the latest version of the Linux kernel where this vulnerability has been fixed. The patched version can be downloaded from the Linux kernel stable tree.