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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2022-49187

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-02-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.15.33 / 5.16.19 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: clk: Fix clk_hw_get_clk() when dev is NULL Any registered clk_core structure can have a NULL pointer in its dev field. While never actually documented, this is evidenced by the wide usage of clk_register and clk_hw_register with a NULL device pointer, and the fact that the core of_clk_hw_register() function also passes a NULL device pointer. A call to clk_hw_get_clk() on a clk_hw struct whose clk_core is in that case will result in a NULL pointer derefence when it calls dev_name() on that NULL device pointer. Add a test for this case and use NULL as the dev_id if the device pointer is NULL.

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:>= 5.11, < 5.15.33>= 5.16, < 5.16.19>= 5.17, < 5.17.2

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 5.15.33 / 5.16.19 / 5.17.2 or later
Fixed in 5.15.335.16.195.17.2
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 5.15.33, 5.16.19, or 5.17.2 (or later stable releases in respective branches)

  1. Identify the currently running Linux kernel version using `uname -r` or `cat /proc/version`
  2. If the kernel version is >= 5.11 and < 5.15.33, upgrade to kernel version 5.15.33 or later
  3. If the kernel version is >= 5.16 and < 5.16.19, upgrade to kernel version 5.16.19 or later
  4. If the kernel version is >= 5.17 and < 5.17.2, upgrade to kernel version 5.17.2 or later
  5. Alternatively, upgrade to a newer stable kernel release (such as 5.17.3 or later in any stable branch) which includes the fix
  6. After kernel upgrade, reboot the system to apply the changes
  7. Verify the fix is applied by checking that clk_hw_get_clk() no longer dereferences a NULL device pointer when dev is NULL in clk_core structures
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require recompilation of out-of-tree modules and could introduce regressions in hardware drivers; ensure compatibility with downstream modules before upgrading

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

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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-2022-49187 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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