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Unscored CVE-2022-48769 EUVD-2022-53648GHSA-xprq-wxmv-vch9

efi: runtime: avoid EFIv2 runtime services on Apple x86 machines

Published Jun 20, 2024 · Updated May 23, 2026 · Assigned by Linux

Vendor: Linux Product: Linux Package: linux Package: linux Package: linux-allwinner-5.19 Package: linux-aws Package: linux-aws-5.0 Package: linux-aws-5.11 Package: linux-aws-5.13 Package: linux-aws-5.19 Package: linux-aws-5.3 Package: linux-aws-5.4 Package: linux-aws-5.8 Package: linux-aws-6.2 Package: linux-aws-fips Package: linux-aws-hwe Package: linux-azure Package: linux-azure-4.15 Package: linux-azure-5.11 Package: linux-azure-5.13 Package: linux-azure-5.19 Package: linux-azure-5.3 Package: linux-azure-5.4 Package: linux-azure-5.8 Package: linux-azure-6.2 Package: linux-azure-edge Package: linux-azure-fde Package: linux-azure-fde-5.19 Package: linux-azure-fde-6.2 Package: linux-azure-fips Package: linux-bluefield Package: linux-fips Package: linux-gcp Package: linux-gcp-4.15 Package: linux-gcp-5.11 Package: linux-gcp-5.13 Package: linux-gcp-5.19 Package: linux-gcp-5.3 Package: linux-gcp-5.4 Package: linux-gcp-5.8 Package: linux-gcp-6.2 Package: linux-gcp-fips Package: linux-gke Package: linux-gke-4.15 Package: linux-gke-5.15 Package: linux-gke-5.4 Package: linux-gkeop Package: linux-gkeop-5.4 Package: linux-hwe Package: linux-hwe-5.11 Package: linux-hwe-5.13 Package: linux-hwe-5.19 Package: linux-hwe-5.4 Package: linux-hwe-5.8 Package: linux-hwe-6.2 Package: linux-hwe-edge Package: linux-ibm Package: linux-ibm-5.4 Package: linux-intel-5.13 Package: linux-intel-iot-realtime Package: linux-iot Package: linux-kvm Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.19 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.2 Package: linux-lts-xenial Package: linux-nvidia-6.2 Package: linux-oem Package: linux-oem-5.10 Package: linux-oem-5.13 Package: linux-oem-5.14 Package: linux-oem-5.17 Package: linux-oem-5.6 Package: linux-oem-6.0 Package: linux-oem-6.1 Package: linux-oracle Package: linux-oracle-5.0 Package: linux-oracle-5.11 Package: linux-oracle-5.13 Package: linux-oracle-5.3 Package: linux-oracle-5.4 Package: linux-oracle-5.8 Package: linux-raspi Package: linux-raspi-5.4 Package: linux-raspi-realtime Package: linux-raspi2 Package: linux-realtime Package: linux-riscv Package: linux-riscv-5.11 Package: linux-riscv-5.19 Package: linux-riscv-5.8 Package: linux-starfive-5.19 Package: linux-starfive-6.2 Package: linux-vmware Package: linux-xilinx-zynqmp Platform: Linux Ecosystem: Debian Ecosystem: Ubuntu

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

efi: runtime: avoid EFIv2 runtime services on Apple x86 machines

Aditya reports [0] that his recent MacbookPro crashes in the firmware
when using the variable services at runtime. The culprit appears to be a
call to QueryVariableInfo(), which we did not use to call on Apple x86
machines in the past as they only upgraded from EFI v1.10 to EFI v2.40
firmware fairly recently, and QueryVariableInfo() (along with
UpdateCapsule() et al) was added in EFI v2.00.

The only runtime service introduced in EFI v2.00 that we actually use in
Linux is QueryVariableInfo(), as the capsule based ones are optional,
generally not used at runtime (all the LVFS/fwupd firmware update
infrastructure uses helper EFI programs that invoke capsule update at
boot time, not runtime), and not implemented by Apple machines in the
first place. QueryVariableInfo() is used to 'safely' set variables,
i.e., only when there is enough space. This prevents machines with buggy
firmwares from corrupting their NVRAMs when they run out of space.

Given that Apple machines have been using EFI v1.10 services only for
the longest time (the EFI v2.0 spec was released in 2006, and Linux
support for the newly introduced runtime services was added in 2011, but
the MacbookPro12,1 released in 2015 still claims to be EFI v1.10 only),
let's avoid the EFI v2.0 ones on all Apple x86 machines.

[0] https://lore.kernel.org/all/6D757C75-65B1-468B-842D-10410081A8E4@live.com/

Affected products

VendorProductAffectedFixed
Linux Linux 3.2.32 – < 3.3, 3.4.14 – < 3.5, 3.5.7 – < 3.6, 3.6.2 – < 3.7, 3.7 3.3

Fixed in Linux distributions

Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.

ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Debian 14 linux 5.16.7-1 —
Debian 13 linux 5.16.7-1 —
Debian 12 linux 5.16.7-1 —
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS linux-raspi-realtime No fix yet —
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS linux-riscv +22 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-gke +27 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-gcp +14 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS linux-hwe-edge No fix yet —
Show 10 more (older releases, extended support, other products)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu Pro FIPS 20.04 LTS linux-fips +3 No fix yet —
Ubuntu Pro FIPS 18.04 LTS linux-fips +3 No fix yet —
Ubuntu Pro FIPS 16.04 LTS linux-fips No fix yet —
Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS linux-fips +3 No fix yet —
Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 18.04 LTS linux-fips +3 No fix yet —
Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 16.04 LTS linux-fips No fix yet —
Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS linux +10 No fix yet —
Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS linux +12 No fix yet —
Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS linux +7 No fix yet —
Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS linux +3 No fix yet —
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
SLES 15 SP5 kernel-64kb +5 5.14.21-150500.55.73.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2939-1
SLES 15 SP5 kernel-azure +2 5.14.21-150500.33.60.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2372-1
SLES 15 SP5 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150500.55.73.1.150500.6.33.8 SUSE-SU-2024:2939-1
SLES 15 SP5 kernel-docs 5.14.21-150500.55.73.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2939-1
SLES 15 SP4 kernel-64kb +6 5.14.21-150400.24.128.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2929-1
SLES 15 SP4 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150400.24.128.1.150400.24.62.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2929-1
SLES 12 SP5 kernel-azure +2 4.12.14-16.197.1 SUSE-SU-2024:3252-1
SLES 12 SP5 kernel-docs +1 4.12.14-122.228.2 SUSE-SU-2024:3251-1
SLES 12 SP5 kernel-syms +2 4.12.14-122.228.1 SUSE-SU-2024:3251-1
Show 13 more (older releases, extended support, other products)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
SLES for SAP 15 SP4 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150400.24.128.1.150400.24.62.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2929-1
SLES for SAP 15 SP4 kernel-docs +4 5.14.21-150400.24.128.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2929-1
SLES for SAP 12 SP5 kernel-azure +2 4.12.14-16.197.1 SUSE-SU-2024:3252-1
SLES for SAP 12 SP5 kernel-syms +2 4.12.14-122.228.1 SUSE-SU-2024:3251-1
SLE Real Time 12 SP5 kernel-rt +3 4.12.14-10.200.1 SUSE-SU-2024:3189-1
SLE Micro 5.5 kernel-default 5.14.21-150500.55.73.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2939-1
SLE Micro 5.5 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150500.55.73.1.150500.6.33.8 SUSE-SU-2024:2939-1
SLE Micro 5.5 kernel-rt +1 5.14.21-150500.13.61.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2394-1
SLE Micro 5.4 kernel-default 5.14.21-150400.24.128.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2929-1
SLE Micro 5.4 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150400.24.128.1.150400.24.62.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2929-1
SLE Micro 5.4 kernel-rt +1 5.14.21-150400.15.88.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2902-1
SLE Micro 5.3 kernel-default 5.14.21-150400.24.128.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2929-1
SLE Micro 5.3 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150400.24.128.1.150400.24.62.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2929-1
SLE Micro 5.3 kernel-rt +1 5.14.21-150400.15.88.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2902-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP5 kernel-default 5.14.21-150500.55.73.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2939-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP5 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP5_Update_17 +1 1-150500.11.3.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2939-1, SUSE-SU-2024:2394-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP4 kernel-default 5.14.21-150400.24.128.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2929-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP4 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP4_Update_29 1-150400.9.3.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2929-1
SLE Live Patching 12 SP5 kernel-default 4.12.14-122.228.1 SUSE-SU-2024:3251-1
SLE Live Patching 12 SP5 kgraft-patch-SLE12-SP5_Update_60 1-8.3.1 SUSE-SU-2024:3251-1
SLE HPC 15 SP4 kernel-64kb +5 5.14.21-150400.24.128.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2929-1
SLE HPC 15 SP4 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150400.24.128.1.150400.24.62.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2929-1
SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP5 kernel-rt +3 5.14.21-150500.13.61.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2394-1
SUSE Manager Server 4.3 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150400.24.128.1.150400.24.62.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2929-1
SUSE Manager Server 4.3 kernel-syms +3 5.14.21-150400.24.128.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2929-1
SUSE Manager Proxy 4.3 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150400.24.128.1.150400.24.62.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2929-1
SUSE Manager Proxy 4.3 kernel-syms +2 5.14.21-150400.24.128.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2929-1
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
openSUSE Leap 15.5 dtb-aarch64 +9 5.14.21-150500.55.73.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2939-1
openSUSE Leap 15.5 kernel-azure +2 5.14.21-150500.33.60.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2372-1
openSUSE Leap 15.5 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150500.55.73.1.150500.6.33.8 SUSE-SU-2024:2939-1
openSUSE Leap 15.5 kernel-docs 5.14.21-150500.55.73.2 SUSE-SU-2024:2939-1
openSUSE Leap 15.5 kernel-rt +3 5.14.21-150500.13.61.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2394-1
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
openSUSE Leap Micro 5.5 kernel-default 5.14.21-150500.55.73.1 SUSE-SU-2024:2939-1
openSUSE Leap Micro 5.5 kernel-default-base 5.14.21-150500.55.73.1.150500.6.33.8 SUSE-SU-2024:2939-1

Advisories 9

References