Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2022-50494

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-10-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.9.331 / 4.14.296 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: thermal: intel_powerclamp: Use get_cpu() instead of smp_processor_id() to avoid crash When CPU 0 is offline and intel_powerclamp is used to inject idle, it generates kernel BUG: BUG: using smp_processor_id() in preemptible [00000000] code: bash/15687 caller is debug_smp_processor_id+0x17/0x20 CPU: 4 PID: 15687 Comm: bash Not tainted 5.19.0-rc7+ #57 Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x49/0x63 dump_stack+0x10/0x16 check_preemption_disabled+0xdd/0xe0 debug_smp_processor_id+0x17/0x20 powerclamp_set_cur_state+0x7f/0xf9 [intel_powerclamp] ... ... Here CPU 0 is the control CPU by default and changed to the current CPU, if CPU 0 offlined. This check has to be performed under cpus_read_lock(), hence the above warning. Use get_cpu() instead of smp_processor_id() to avoid this BUG. [ rjw: Subject edits ]

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

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

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:>= 3.9, < 4.9.331>= 4.10, < 4.14.296>= 4.15, < 4.19.262>= 4.20, < 5.4.220>= 5.5, < 5.10.150>= 5.11, < 5.15.75>= 5.16, < 5.19.17>= 6.0, < 6.0.3

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 4.9.331 / 4.14.296 / 4.19.262 or later
Fixed in 4.9.3314.14.2964.19.262
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux kernel 4.9.331 / 4.14.296 / 4.19.262 / 5.4.220 or later stable release

  1. 1. Identify the current kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. 2. Upgrade the Linux kernel to a fixed version: 4.9.331 or later for 4.9.x kernels, 4.14.296 or later for 4.14.x kernels, 4.19.262 or later for 4.19.x kernels, or 5.4.220 or later for 5.4.x kernels
  3. 3. For enterprise distributions, apply the vendor-specific kernel update that includes this fix
  4. 4. Reboot the system to load the fixed kernel
  5. 5. Verify the fix by confirming `smp_processor_id()` is no longer used in the intel_powerclamp module (`modinfo intel_powerclamp` or check source)
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebooting services; ensure compatibility with system hardware and software before upgrading

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

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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-2022-50494 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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