CVE-2022-0847: "Dirty Pipe" Linux Local Privilege Escalation

CVE-2022-0847, known as "Dirty Pipe," is a critical local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Linux Kernel, reminiscent of the "Dirty COW" exploit. This flaw, rated at a severe score of 8.8, stems from improper initialization of the "flags" member in the pipe buffer structure, allowing an unprivileged user to write to read-only pages and escalate privileges. Discovered in Linux 5.8, the vulnerability enables attackers to overwrite files and execute malicious actions, such as creating a SUID shell backdoor, compromising system integrity. System defenses like AppArmor and Seccomp offer limited protection against this exploit. To mitigate the risk, Linux users are advised to upgrade to fixed kernel versions (5.10.102, 5.15.25, and 5.16.11) promptly. Tools like Sysdig can help detect vulnerable systems and unusual container activity, providing a layer of security by alerting and killing compromised containers. As this vulnerability can lead to complete system compromise, responsible disclosure has been crucial in allowing Linux users to update and protect their systems.