Local kernel crash via NULL port-info entry
Published Feb 26, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026
NULL pointer dereference in affected Linux kernel branches starting at 2.6.22 allows local users to crash the kernel during ATA host allocation. When the ppi array begins with a NULL entry, ata_host_alloc_pinfo leaves pi as NULL instead of selecting ata_dummy_port_info and later dereferences it. Public sources do not establish how a local user can make a kernel caller supply this malformed array, so practical reachability remains undisclosed.
Summary
What happened
NULL pointer dereference in affected Linux kernel branches starting at 2.6.22 allows local users to crash the kernel during ATA host allocation. When the ppi array begins with a NULL entry, ata_host_alloc_pinfo leaves pi as NULL instead of selecting ata_dummy_port_info and later dereferences it. Public sources do not establish how a local user can make a kernel caller supply this malformed array, so practical reachability remains undisclosed.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-49731
- 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?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=2.6.22
- Affected versionversion=f5cda257296fbd3683b1f568f2d94d3caaacf74d <07cbdb4807d369fbda73062a91b570c4dc5ec429
- Affected versionversion=f5cda257296fbd3683b1f568f2d94d3caaacf74d <1ac5efee33f29e704226506d429b84575a5d66f8
- Affected versionversion=f5cda257296fbd3683b1f568f2d94d3caaacf74d <253334f84c81bc6a43af489f108c0bddad989eef
- Affected versionversion=f5cda257296fbd3683b1f568f2d94d3caaacf74d <36cd19e7d4e5571d77a2ed20c5b6ef50cf57734a
- Affected versionversion=f5cda257296fbd3683b1f568f2d94d3caaacf74d <a810bd5af06977a847d1f202b22d7defd5c62497
- Affected versionversion=f5cda257296fbd3683b1f568f2d94d3caaacf74d <bf476fe22aa1851bab4728e0c49025a6a0bea307
- Affected versionversion=f5cda257296fbd3683b1f568f2d94d3caaacf74d <ca4693e6e06e4fd2b240c0fec47aa2498c94848e
- Affected versionversion=f5cda257296fbd3683b1f568f2d94d3caaacf74d <ff128fbea720bf763fa345680dda5f050bc24a47
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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