CVE-2022-50720

General-protection fault via locked x2APIC disable

Published Dec 24, 2025 · Updated Dec 24, 2025

Improper x2APIC state handling in affected Linux kernels allows attackers to trigger a general-protection fault during APIC mode changes. The x86 APIC code disables x2APIC without first reading IA32_XAPIC_DISABLE_STATUS and honoring the LEGACY_XAPIC_DISABLED lock bit. Exposure requires an x86 platform whose BIOS locks x2APIC, as occurs when SGX or TDX is enabled, plus a kernel path that tries to disable it.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.24%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper x2APIC state handling in affected Linux kernels allows attackers to trigger a general-protection fault during APIC mode changes. The x86 APIC code disables x2APIC without first reading IA32_XAPIC_DISABLE_STATUS and honoring the LEGACY_XAPIC_DISABLED lock bit. Exposure requires an x86 platform whose BIOS locks x2APIC, as occurs when SGX or TDX is enabled, plus a kernel path that tries to disable it.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-50720
Published
Dec 24, 2025
Updated
Dec 24, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
Unavailable
Attack vector
Unavailable
Privileges
Unavailable

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Dec 24, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Dec 24, 2025Record 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <05785ba834f23272f9d23427ae4a80ac505a5296
  2. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <b8d1d163604bd1e600b062fb00de5dc42baa355f
  3. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <dd1241e00addbf0b95f6cd6ce32152692820657e

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorUnavailable in this record.
Required privilegesUnavailable in this record.

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <05785ba834f23272f9d23427ae4a80ac505a5296; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <b8d1d163604bd1e600b062fb00de5dc42baa355f; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <dd1241e00addbf0b95f6cd6ce32152692820657e

Published CVSS scores

No CVSS assessment is available in this record.

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.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
VectorUnavailable
PrivilegesUnavailable
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

No sourced classifications are available.

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

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Your stack

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