CVE-2022-50344

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: fix null-ptr-deref in ext4_write_info I caught a null-ptr-deref bug as follows: ================================================================== KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000068-0x000000000000006f] CPU: 1 PID: 1589 Comm: umount Not tainted 5.10.0-02219-dirty #339 RIP: 0010:ext4_write_info+0x53/0x1b0 [...] Call Trace: dquot_writeback_dquots+0x341/0x9a0 ext4_sync_fs+0x19e/0x800 __sync_filesystem+0x83/0x100 sync_filesystem+0x89/0xf0 generic_shutdown_super+0x79/0x3e0 kill_block_super+0xa1/0x110 deactivate_locked_super+0xac/0x130 deactivate_super+0xb6/0xd0 cleanup_mnt+0x289/0x400 __cleanup_mnt+0x16/0x20 task_work_run+0x11c/0x1c0 exit_to_user_mode_prepare+0x203/0x210 syscall_exit_to_user_mode+0x5b/0x3a0 do_syscall_64+0x59/0x70 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xa9 ================================================================== Above issue may happen as follows: ------------------------------------- exit_to_user_mode_prepare task_work_run __cleanup_mnt cleanup_mnt deactivate_super deactivate_locked_super kill_block_super generic_shutdown_super shrink_dcache_for_umount dentry = sb->s_root sb->s_root = NULL <--- Here set NULL sync_filesystem __sync_filesystem sb->s_op->sync_fs > ext4_sync_fs dquot_writeback_dquots sb->dq_op->write_info > ext4_write_info ext4_journal_start(d_inode(sb->s_root), EXT4_HT_QUOTA, 2) d_inode(sb->s_root) s_root->d_inode <--- Null pointer dereference To solve this problem, we use ext4_journal_start_sb directly to avoid s_root being used.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2025-09-16
Last modified 2026-01-14
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-2022-50344 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 3.6 and later are affected. Fixed in 4.9.331, 4.14.296, 4.19.262, 5.4.220, 5.10.150, 5.15.75, 5.19.17, 6.0.3, 6.1 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 3.6
Fixed in
✓ 4.9.331 4.9.x ✓ 4.14.296 4.14.x ✓ 4.19.262 4.19.x ✓ 5.4.220 5.4.x ✓ 5.10.150 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.75 5.15.x ✓ 5.19.17 5.19.x ✓ 6.0.3 6.0.x ✓ 6.1

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2022-50344 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-2022-50344?

    CVE-2022-50344 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 3.6 onward and has been patched in 4.9.331, 4.14.296, 4.19.262 and others. CVE-2022-50344 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2022-50344?

    CVE-2022-50344 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-2022-50344?

    Yes — CVE-2022-50344 has been patched. Fixed versions include 4.9.331, 4.14.296, 4.19.262 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 3.6 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2022-50344 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2022-50344 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 →