CVE-2022-2590Public exploit

Local privilege escalation via shmem COW race

Published Aug 31, 2022 · Updated Aug 3, 2024

A copy-on-write race in the Linux kernel allows local users to alter read-only shmem or tmpfs file content without permission. mfill_atomic_install_pte marks a read-only shared-memory PTE dirty, and follow_page_pte treats that state as proof that copy-on-write completed. Linux 5.16 and later is exposed on x86-64 and arm64 when CONFIG_USERFAULTFD is enabled; altering a protected executable can increase privileges.

CVSS severity7.0
High
EPSS probability0.90%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

A copy-on-write race in the Linux kernel allows local users to alter read-only shmem or tmpfs file content without permission. mfill_atomic_install_pte marks a read-only shared-memory PTE dirty, and follow_page_pte treats that state as proof that copy-on-write completed. Linux 5.16 and later is exposed on x86-64 and arm64 when CONFIG_USERFAULTFD is enabled; altering a protected executable can increase privileges.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-2590
Published
Aug 31, 2022
Updated
Aug 3, 2024
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
CWE-362, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 31, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 3, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=Linux kernel 5.16 onwards

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=Linux kernel 5.16 onwards

Published CVSS scores

7.0NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-362Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo