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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2022-48918

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-08-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.15.27 / 5.16.13 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iwlwifi: mvm: check debugfs_dir ptr before use When "debugfs=off" is used on the kernel command line, iwiwifi's mvm module uses an invalid/unchecked debugfs_dir pointer and causes a BUG: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 000000000000004f #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page PGD 0 P4D 0 Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP CPU: 1 PID: 503 Comm: modprobe Tainted: G W 5.17.0-rc5 #7 Hardware name: Dell Inc. Inspiron 15 5510/076F7Y, BIOS 2.4.1 11/05/2021 RIP: 0010:iwl_mvm_dbgfs_register+0x692/0x700 [iwlmvm] Code: 69 a0 be 80 01 00 00 48 c7 c7 50 73 6a a0 e8 95 cf ee e0 48 8b 83 b0 1e 00 00 48 c7 c2 54 73 6a a0 be 64 00 00 00 48 8d 7d 8c <48> 8b 48 50 e8 15 22 07 e1 48 8b 43 28 48 8d 55 8c 48 c7 c7 5f 73 RSP: 0018:ffffc90000a0ba68 EFLAGS: 00010246 RAX: ffffffffffffffff RBX: ffff88817d6e3328 RCX: ffff88817d6e3328 RDX: ffffffffa06a7354 RSI: 0000000000000064 RDI: ffffc90000a0ba6c RBP: ffffc90000a0bae0 R08: ffffffff824e4880 R09: ffffffffa069d620 R10: ffffc90000a0ba00 R11: ffffffffffffffff R12: 0000000000000000 R13: ffffc90000a0bb28 R14: ffff88817d6e3328 R15: ffff88817d6e3320 FS: 00007f64dd92d740(0000) GS:ffff88847f640000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 000000000000004f CR3: 000000016fc79001 CR4: 0000000000770ee0 PKRU: 55555554 Call Trace: <TASK> ? iwl_mvm_mac_setup_register+0xbdc/0xda0 [iwlmvm] iwl_mvm_start_post_nvm+0x71/0x100 [iwlmvm] iwl_op_mode_mvm_start+0xab8/0xb30 [iwlmvm] _iwl_op_mode_start+0x6f/0xd0 [iwlwifi] iwl_opmode_register+0x6a/0xe0 [iwlwifi] ? 0xffffffffa0231000 iwl_mvm_init+0x35/0x1000 [iwlmvm] ? 0xffffffffa0231000 do_one_initcall+0x5a/0x1b0 ? kmem_cache_alloc+0x1e5/0x2f0 ? do_init_module+0x1e/0x220 do_init_module+0x48/0x220 load_module+0x2602/0x2bc0 ? __kernel_read+0x145/0x2e0 ? kernel_read_file+0x229/0x290 __do_sys_finit_module+0xc5/0x130 ? __do_sys_finit_module+0xc5/0x130 __x64_sys_finit_module+0x13/0x20 do_syscall_64+0x38/0x90 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae RIP: 0033:0x7f64dda564dd Code: 5b 41 5c c3 66 0f 1f 84 00 00 00 00 00 f3 0f 1e fa 48 89 f8 48 89 f7 48 89 d6 48 89 ca 4d 89 c2 4d 89 c8 4c 8b 4c 24 08 0f 05 <48> 3d 01 f0 ff ff 73 01 c3 48 8b 0d 1b 29 0f 00 f7 d8 64 89 01 48 RSP: 002b:00007ffdba393f88 EFLAGS: 00000246 ORIG_RAX: 0000000000000139 RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: 00007f64dda564dd RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 00005575399e2ab2 RDI: 0000000000000001 RBP: 000055753a91c5e0 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000002 R10: 0000000000000001 R11: 0000000000000246 R12: 00005575399e2ab2 R13: 000055753a91ceb0 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: 000055753a923018 </TASK> Modules linked in: btintel(+) btmtk bluetooth vfat snd_hda_codec_hdmi fat snd_hda_codec_realtek snd_hda_codec_generic iwlmvm(+) snd_sof_pci_intel_tgl mac80211 snd_sof_intel_hda_common soundwire_intel soundwire_generic_allocation soundwire_cadence soundwire_bus snd_sof_intel_hda snd_sof_pci snd_sof snd_sof_xtensa_dsp snd_soc_hdac_hda snd_hda_ext_core snd_soc_acpi_intel_match snd_soc_acpi snd_soc_core btrfs snd_compress snd_hda_intel snd_intel_dspcfg snd_intel_sdw_acpi snd_hda_codec raid6_pq iwlwifi snd_hda_core snd_pcm snd_timer snd soundcore cfg80211 intel_ish_ipc(+) thunderbolt rfkill intel_ishtp ucsi_acpi wmi i2c_hid_acpi i2c_hid evdev CR2: 000000000000004f ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]--- Check the debugfs_dir pointer for an error before using it. [change to make both conditional]

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-476

The code follows a pointer that is null, crashing the process. An attacker who can reliably trigger it turns the crash into a denial of service. The fix is checking for null before use and handling the failure path gracefully.

General guidance for the null pointer dereference class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 5.12, < 5.15.27>= 5.16, < 5.16.13

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.15.27 / 5.16.13 or later
Fixed in 5.15.275.16.13
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 5.15.27+ or 5.16.13+ (or any later stable release such as 5.17.x/6.x)

  1. Identify the currently running kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. If running kernel >= 5.12 and < 5.15.27: upgrade to kernel version 5.15.27 or later in the 5.15 stable series
  3. If running kernel >= 5.16 and < 5.16.13: upgrade to kernel version 5.16.13 or later in the 5.16 stable series
  4. Alternatively, upgrade to a newer stable kernel branch (e.g., 5.17.x or later) which contains the fix
  5. After kernel upgrade, reboot the system to apply the changes
  6. Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version and confirming the iwlmvm module loads without the debugfs=off kernel parameter causing a crash
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebuilding third-party kernel modules; ensure compatible drivers are available for the target kernel version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $2,850. Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-48918 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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