CVE-2024-44967: 
Linux Kernel vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2024-44967 affects the Linux kernel's DRM (Direct Rendering Manager) subsystem, specifically in the MGAG200 graphics driver. The vulnerability was discovered in the I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) lifetime management code. The issue stems from a cleanup mechanism that releases the I2C adapter when the underlying Linux device is removed, while the connector still maintains a reference to it, resulting in a stale pointer in struct drm_connector.ddc (NVD).

The vulnerability exists in the mgag200i2c.c driver file where the managed cleanup with devmaddactionorreset() prematurely releases the I2C adapter. This occurs when the underlying Linux device is removed, but leaves behind a stale pointer in struct drmconnector.ddc. The issue has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH) with the vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (NVD).

The vulnerability could potentially lead to memory corruption due to the stale pointer issue, which might result in system crashes, information disclosure, or potential privilege escalation in the affected Linux kernel versions. The vulnerability affects Linux kernel versions from 6.0 up to versions before 6.1.105, 6.2 through 6.6.46, and 6.7 through 6.10.5 (NVD).

The vulnerability has been patched by modifying the I2C adapter lifetime management to bind it to the DRM device instead of the Linux device. The fix uses DRM's managed release (drmmaddactionorreset) to ensure proper cleanup order, where the connector is cleaned up before the I2C adapter when the DRM device is removed (Kernel Patch).