CVE-2022-2929
dhcp: DHCP memory leak
Severity
ModerateRed Hat Product Security
CVSS 3.1
Review impact separately from score.
Published · October 5, 2022
Updated · July 3, 2026
Description
A vulnerability was found in the DHCP server where the "fqdn_universe_decode()" function allocates buffer space for the contents of option 81 (fqdn) data received in a DHCP packet. The maximum length of a DNS "label" is 63 bytes. The function tests the length byte of each label contained in the "fqdn"; if it finds a label whose length byte value is larger than 63, it returns without dereferencing the buffer space. This issue causes a memory leak. On a system with access to a DHCP server, an attacker from any adjacent network could send DHCP packets crafted to include "fqdn" labels longer than 63 bytes to the DHCP server, eventually causing the server to run out of memory and crash.
CVSS score applicability
The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.
Mitigation
Possible workaround - As exploiting this vulnerability requires an attacker to send packets for an extended period of time, restarting servers periodically could be a viable workaround.
CVSS / CWE
CVSS 3.1 · 6.5CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CWE not specified