Kernel crash via misdecoded exception-table register indices
Published Jun 20, 2024 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel 5.16 through 5.16.4 allows local users to crash arm64 systems through pathname processing. In ex_handler_load_unaligned_zeropad(), register indices are read from the constant ex->type field instead of ex->data, forcing X0 to be dereferenced and corrupting X4. The demonstrated path requires an arm64 kernel with memory tagging and a fault during pathname hashing; the resulting NULL dereference interrupts the host.
Summary
What happened
NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel 5.16 through 5.16.4 allows local users to crash arm64 systems through pathname processing. In ex_handler_load_unaligned_zeropad(), register indices are read from the constant ex->type field instead of ex->data, forcing X0 to be dereferenced and corrupting X4. The demonstrated path requires an arm64 kernel with memory tagging and a fault during pathname hashing; the resulting NULL dereference interrupts the host.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-48762
- Published
- Jun 20, 2024
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-476, T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 20, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 5, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=5.16
- Affected versionversion=753b32368705c396000f95f33c3b7018474e33ad <3758a6c74e08bdc15ccccd6872a6ad37d165239a
- Affected versionversion=753b32368705c396000f95f33c3b7018474e33ad <47fe7a1c5e3e011eeb4ab79f2d54a794fdd1c3eb
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Technologies
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Your stack
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