Kernel memory disclosure via uninitialized screen buffer
Published Jun 18, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026
Information disclosure in Linux kernel 4.19 through 5.19.1 allows local users to read uninitialized memory through vcs_read(). The VT resize path allocates a replacement Unicode screen buffer without zeroing it, so vcs_read() returns residual kernel heap bytes immediately after a framebuffer resize. Exploitation requires local access to the framebuffer and Unicode virtual-console devices; the demonstrated result is stale-memory disclosure rather than direct kernel-data modification.
Summary
What happened
Information disclosure in Linux kernel 4.19 through 5.19.1 allows local users to read uninitialized memory through vcs_read(). The VT resize path allocates a replacement Unicode screen buffer without zeroing it, so vcs_read() returns residual kernel heap bytes immediately after a framebuffer resize. Exploitation requires local access to the framebuffer and Unicode virtual-console devices; the demonstrated result is stale-memory disclosure rather than direct kernel-data modification.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-50222
- Published
- Jun 18, 2025
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1005
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 18, 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=4.19
- Affected versionversion=d8ae7242718738ee1bf9bfdd632d2a4b150fdd26 <446f123aa6021e5f75a20789f05ff3f7ae51a42f
- Affected versionversion=d8ae7242718738ee1bf9bfdd632d2a4b150fdd26 <5c6c65681f39bf71bc72ed589dec3b8b20e75cac
- Affected versionversion=d8ae7242718738ee1bf9bfdd632d2a4b150fdd26 <777a462e1ae50a01fc4a871efa8e34d596a1e17d
- Affected versionversion=d8ae7242718738ee1bf9bfdd632d2a4b150fdd26 <af77c56aa35325daa2bc2bed5c2ebf169be61b86
- Affected versionversion=d8ae7242718738ee1bf9bfdd632d2a4b150fdd26 <cc9e874dace0c89ae535230c7da19b764746811e
- Affected versionversion=d8ae7242718738ee1bf9bfdd632d2a4b150fdd26 <e02fa87e572bb7d90dcdbce9c0f519f1eb992e96
- Affected versionversion=d8ae7242718738ee1bf9bfdd632d2a4b150fdd26 <e0ef23e9b0ad18b9fd3741b0f1ad2282e4a18def
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
- Linux kernel CVE announcement reproducerproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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