Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2022-49298

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-02-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.9.318 / 4.14.283 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: staging: rtl8712: fix uninit-value in r871xu_drv_init() When 'tmpU1b' returns from r8712_read8(padapter, EE_9346CR) is 0, 'mac[6]' will not be initialized. BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in r871xu_drv_init+0x2d54/0x3070 drivers/staging/rtl8712/usb_intf.c:541 r871xu_drv_init+0x2d54/0x3070 drivers/staging/rtl8712/usb_intf.c:541 usb_probe_interface+0xf19/0x1600 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:396 really_probe+0x653/0x14b0 drivers/base/dd.c:596 __driver_probe_device+0x3e9/0x530 drivers/base/dd.c:752 driver_probe_device drivers/base/dd.c:782 [inline] __device_attach_driver+0x79f/0x1120 drivers/base/dd.c:899 bus_for_each_drv+0x2d6/0x3f0 drivers/base/bus.c:427 __device_attach+0x593/0x8e0 drivers/base/dd.c:970 device_initial_probe+0x4a/0x60 drivers/base/dd.c:1017 bus_probe_device+0x17b/0x3e0 drivers/base/bus.c:487 device_add+0x1fff/0x26e0 drivers/base/core.c:3405 usb_set_configuration+0x37e9/0x3ed0 drivers/usb/core/message.c:2170 usb_generic_driver_probe+0x13c/0x300 drivers/usb/core/generic.c:238 usb_probe_device+0x309/0x570 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:293 really_probe+0x653/0x14b0 drivers/base/dd.c:596 __driver_probe_device+0x3e9/0x530 drivers/base/dd.c:752 driver_probe_device drivers/base/dd.c:782 [inline] __device_attach_driver+0x79f/0x1120 drivers/base/dd.c:899 bus_for_each_drv+0x2d6/0x3f0 drivers/base/bus.c:427 __device_attach+0x593/0x8e0 drivers/base/dd.c:970 device_initial_probe+0x4a/0x60 drivers/base/dd.c:1017 bus_probe_device+0x17b/0x3e0 drivers/base/bus.c:487 device_add+0x1fff/0x26e0 drivers/base/core.c:3405 usb_new_device+0x1b8e/0x2950 drivers/usb/core/hub.c:2566 hub_port_connect drivers/usb/core/hub.c:5358 [inline] hub_port_connect_change drivers/usb/core/hub.c:5502 [inline] port_event drivers/usb/core/hub.c:5660 [inline] hub_event+0x58e3/0x89e0 drivers/usb/core/hub.c:5742 process_one_work+0xdb6/0x1820 kernel/workqueue.c:2307 worker_thread+0x10b3/0x21e0 kernel/workqueue.c:2454 kthread+0x3c7/0x500 kernel/kthread.c:377 ret_from_fork+0x1f/0x30 Local variable mac created at: r871xu_drv_init+0x1771/0x3070 drivers/staging/rtl8712/usb_intf.c:394 usb_probe_interface+0xf19/0x1600 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:396 KMSAN: uninit-value in r871xu_drv_init https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?id=3cd92b1d85428b128503bfa7a250294c9ae00bd8

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-908

Memory or a resource is used before it has been initialised, so its contents are whatever happened to be there — sometimes leaking earlier data, sometimes values an attacker can influence. Behaviour becomes unpredictable and occasionally exploitable. Remediation is initialising every resource before use and ensuring initialisation happens on all code paths.

General guidance for the use of uninitialized resource 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:< 4.9.318>= 4.10, < 4.14.283>= 4.15, < 4.19.247>= 4.20, < 5.4.198>= 5.5, < 5.10.122>= 5.11, < 5.15.47>= 5.16, < 5.17.15>= 5.18, < 5.18.4

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 4.9.318 / 4.14.283 / 4.19.247 or later
Fixed in 4.9.3184.14.2834.19.247
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

4.9.318+, 4.14.283+, 4.19.247+, or 5.4.198+ depending on your current branch

  1. Upgrade the Linux kernel to a version that includes the fix commit 0458e5428e5e959d201a40ffe71d762a79ecedc4
  2. For kernel 4.9.x: upgrade to 4.9.318 or later
  3. For kernel 4.14.x: upgrade to 4.14.283 or later
  4. For kernel 4.19.x: upgrade to 4.19.247 or later
  5. For kernel 5.4.x: upgrade to 5.4.198 or later
  6. For kernel 5.10+ and 5.15+: these branches are not listed as affected, but ensure you are on a current stable release
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require system reboots and could introduce compatibility issues with custom modules or older drivers; test in staging environment before production deployment

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 $1,600. Get the upgrade done

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
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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-2022-49298 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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