CVE-2022-50369

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/vkms: Fix null-ptr-deref in vkms_release() A null-ptr-deref is triggered when it tries to destroy the workqueue in vkms->output.composer_workq in vkms_release(). KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000118-0x000000000000011f] CPU: 5 PID: 17193 Comm: modprobe Not tainted 6.0.0-11331-gd465bff130bf #24 RIP: 0010:destroy_workqueue+0x2f/0x710 ... Call Trace: <TASK> ? vkms_config_debugfs_init+0x50/0x50 [vkms] __devm_drm_dev_alloc+0x15a/0x1c0 [drm] vkms_init+0x245/0x1000 [vkms] do_one_initcall+0xd0/0x4f0 do_init_module+0x1a4/0x680 load_module+0x6249/0x7110 __do_sys_finit_module+0x140/0x200 do_syscall_64+0x35/0x80 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x46/0xb0 The reason is that an OOM happened which triggers the destroy of the workqueue, however, the workqueue is alloced in the later process, thus a null-ptr-deref happened. A simple call graph is shown as below: vkms_init() vkms_create() devm_drm_dev_alloc() __devm_drm_dev_alloc() devm_drm_dev_init() devm_add_action_or_reset() devm_add_action() # an error happened devm_drm_dev_init_release() drm_dev_put() kref_put() drm_dev_release() vkms_release() destroy_workqueue() # null-ptr-deref happened vkms_modeset_init() vkms_output_init() vkms_crtc_init() # where the workqueue get allocated Fix this by checking if composer_workq is NULL before passing it to the destroy_workqueue() in vkms_release().

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2025-09-17
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-2022-50369 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 4.20 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.10.173, 5.15.99, 6.1.16, 6.2.3, 6.3 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 4.20
Fixed in
✓ 5.10.173 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.99 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.16 6.1.x ✓ 6.2.3 6.2.x ✓ 6.3

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2022-50369 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-2022-50369?

    CVE-2022-50369 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 4.20 onward and has been patched in 5.10.173, 5.15.99, 6.1.16 and others. CVE-2022-50369 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2022-50369?

    CVE-2022-50369 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-2022-50369?

    Yes — CVE-2022-50369 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.173, 5.15.99, 6.1.16 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.20 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2022-50369 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2022-50369 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 →