CVE-2022-49072

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: gpio: Restrict usage of GPIO chip irq members before initialization GPIO chip irq members are exposed before they could be completely initialized and this leads to race conditions. One such issue was observed for the gc->irq.domain variable which was accessed through the I2C interface in gpiochip_to_irq() before it could be initialized by gpiochip_add_irqchip(). This resulted in Kernel NULL pointer dereference. Following are the logs for reference :- kernel: Call Trace: kernel: gpiod_to_irq+0x53/0x70 kernel: acpi_dev_gpio_irq_get_by+0x113/0x1f0 kernel: i2c_acpi_get_irq+0xc0/0xd0 kernel: i2c_device_probe+0x28a/0x2a0 kernel: really_probe+0xf2/0x460 kernel: RIP: 0010:gpiochip_to_irq+0x47/0xc0 To avoid such scenarios, restrict usage of GPIO chip irq members before they are completely initialized.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2025-02-26
Last modified 2025-09-23
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

5.5

out of 10
Medium
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
High
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Weakness type

CWE-476

CVE-2022-49072 is a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability

What is NULL Pointer Dereference?

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. Learn more on MITRE CWE

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 5.2.14, 5.3 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.10.111, 5.15.34, 5.16.20, 5.17.3, 5.18 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 5.2.14 ≥ 5.3
Fixed in
✓ 5.10.111 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.34 5.15.x ✓ 5.16.20 5.16.x ✓ 5.17.3 5.17.x ✓ 5.18

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2022-49072 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2022-49072?

    CVE-2022-49072 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 , classified as a NULL Pointer Dereference flaw (CWE-476) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.2.14 onward and has been patched in 5.10.111, 5.15.34, 5.16.20 and others. CVE-2022-49072 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2022-49072?

    CVE-2022-49072 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2022-49072?

    Yes — CVE-2022-49072 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.111, 5.15.34, 5.16.20 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.2.14 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2022-49072 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2022-49072 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

  • What is NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476)?

    The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. View CWE-476 on MITRE CWE →