CVE-2020-36782: 
Linux Kernel vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2020-36782 is a reference leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's i2c-imx-lpi2c driver. The issue occurs when pm_runtime_get_sync fails in the lpi2c_imx_master_enable function, where the PM reference count is incorrectly handled (Kernel Git).

The vulnerability exists in the i2c-imx-lpi2c driver where pm_runtime_get_sync would increment the PM reference count even when it fails. This behavior leads to a reference leak because the putting operation is forgotten. The issue was introduced in the commit that added runtime pm support to the driver (Kernel Git).

When exploited, this vulnerability results in a reference leak in the Linux kernel's power management subsystem, potentially affecting system stability and resource management for the i2c-imx-lpi2c driver (Kernel Git).

The vulnerability requires local access to a system running the affected i2c-imx-lpi2c driver. It can be triggered when the driver's master enable function is called and the power management runtime sync operation fails (Kernel Git).

The issue was fixed by replacing pm_runtime_get_sync with pm_runtime_resume_and_get to ensure the usage counter remains balanced. This fix was implemented in the Linux kernel through a patch submitted by Qinglang Miao and signed off by Wolfram Sang (Kernel Git).