CVE-2022-50148

Local kernel crash via pre-check NULL dereference

Published Jun 18, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026

A NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernfs allows local users to crash the kernel during node removal when lockdep is enabled. In fs/kernfs/dir.c, __kernfs_remove dereferences its kn argument for a write-lock assertion before checking whether kn is NULL. The condition requires lock dependency checking, and the documented consequence is an availability-only kernel crash.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.17%
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 NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernfs allows local users to crash the kernel during node removal when lockdep is enabled. In fs/kernfs/dir.c, __kernfs_remove dereferences its kn argument for a write-lock assertion before checking whether kn is NULL. The condition requires lock dependency checking, and the documented consequence is an availability-only kernel crash.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-50148
Published
Jun 18, 2025
Updated
May 11, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-476, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jun 18, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 11, 2026Record 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=393c3714081a53795bbff0e985d24146def6f57f <4a9f35b8729c5bf13ea671c908c17ed74c48fc50
  2. Affected versionversion=393c3714081a53795bbff0e985d24146def6f57f <72b5d5aef246a0387cefa23121dd90901c7a691a
  3. Affected versionversion=393c3714081a53795bbff0e985d24146def6f57f <b871986d9d3071f5082664ac274d93f08db257cd
  4. Affected versionversion=5.17

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=393c3714081a53795bbff0e985d24146def6f57f <4a9f35b8729c5bf13ea671c908c17ed74c48fc50; version=393c3714081a53795bbff0e985d24146def6f57f <72b5d5aef246a0387cefa23121dd90901c7a691a; version=393c3714081a53795bbff0e985d24146def6f57f <b871986d9d3071f5082664ac274d93f08db257cd; version=5.17

Published CVSS scores

5.5Canonical UbuntuCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-476NULL Pointer Dereference
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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