Kernel crash via unchecked display-mode allocation
Published Feb 26, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026
NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel's virtio GPU DRM driver allows local users to crash the system through a connector ioctl. When drm_cvt_mode fails to allocate a display mode and returns NULL, virtio_gpu_conn_get_modes reads mode fields without checking the pointer. A low-privilege user must reach the virtio GPU connector-mode ioctl while the allocation fails; the documented impact is a kernel crash only.
Summary
What happened
NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel's virtio GPU DRM driver allows local users to crash the system through a connector ioctl. When drm_cvt_mode fails to allocate a display mode and returns NULL, virtio_gpu_conn_get_modes reads mode fields without checking the pointer. A low-privilege user must reach the virtio GPU connector-mode ioctl while the allocation fails; the documented impact is a kernel crash only.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-49532
- Published
- Feb 26, 2025
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-476, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Feb 26, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 11, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=4.2
- Affected versionversion=dc5698e80cf724770283e10414054662bdf6ccfa <0f8bc147a963686b7351aa35d1701124ffacac08
- Affected versionversion=dc5698e80cf724770283e10414054662bdf6ccfa <194d250cdc4a40ccbd179afd522a9e9846957402
- Affected versionversion=dc5698e80cf724770283e10414054662bdf6ccfa <32e10aabc287f09a148ff759bb9ce70b01b0012c
- Affected versionversion=dc5698e80cf724770283e10414054662bdf6ccfa <848dd072744ea662ab3097e3c8282bee552df218
- Affected versionversion=dc5698e80cf724770283e10414054662bdf6ccfa <c51d00472fa54b9b05c17789ed665c17adf3a25d
- Affected versionversion=dc5698e80cf724770283e10414054662bdf6ccfa <e0828456578cc8ba0a69147f7ae3428392eec287
- Affected versionversion=dc5698e80cf724770283e10414054662bdf6ccfa <edafcad84c4134ebec4bc24b29ca4497a1184eea
- Affected versionversion=dc5698e80cf724770283e10414054662bdf6ccfa <f85cb059fad03a3b33a50023be91e944bb065ae8
- Affected versionversion=dc5698e80cf724770283e10414054662bdf6ccfa <fadc626cae99aaa1325094edc6a9e2b883f3e562
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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