Local privilege escalation via stale pipe flags
Published Mar 7, 2022 · Updated Oct 21, 2025
Improper initialization in Linux Kernel allows local users to overwrite read-only page-cache data and escalate privileges. copy_page_to_iter_pipe and push_pipe leave pipe_buffer.flags stale, so PIPE_BUF_FLAG_CAN_MERGE can survive reuse and make a pipe write modify a spliced file-backed cache page. Any unprivileged local process that can use pipe and splice can alter otherwise unwritable file contents in memory and inject code into privileged processes.
Summary
What happened
Improper initialization in Linux Kernel allows local users to overwrite read-only page-cache data and escalate privileges. copy_page_to_iter_pipe and push_pipe leave pipe_buffer.flags stale, so PIPE_BUF_FLAG_CAN_MERGE can survive reuse and make a pipe write modify a spliced file-backed cache page. Any unprivileged local process that can use pipe and splice can alter otherwise unwritable file contents in memory and inject code into privileged processes.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-0847
- Published
- Mar 7, 2022
- Updated
- Oct 21, 2025
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux Kernel
- Classifications
- CWE-665, CWE-908, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 7, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 21, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=Linux Kernel 5.17 rc6
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Dirty Pipe proof-of-concept exploitproof of concept · demonstrated
- Dirty Pipe root-shell exploitfunctional · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Reported exploitation
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog entryknown exploited catalog
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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