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CVE-2022-49007: nilfs2: fix NULL pointer dereference in nilfs_palloc_commit_free_entry()

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nilfs2: fix NULL pointer dereference in nilfs_palloc_commit_free_entry() Syzbot reported a null-ptr-deref bug: NILFS (loop0): segctord starting. Construction interval = 5 seconds, CP frequency < 30 seconds general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc0000000002: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP KASAN KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000010-0x0000000000000017] CPU: 1 PID: 3603 Comm: segctord Not tainted 6.1.0-rc2-syzkaller-00105-gb229b6ca5abb #0 Hardware name: Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 10/11/2022 RIP: 0010:nilfs_palloc_commit_free_entry+0xe5/0x6b0 fs/nilfs2/alloc.c:608 Code: 00 00 00 00 fc ff df 80 3c 02 00 0f 85 cd 05 00 00 48 b8 00 00 00 00 00 fc ff df 4c 8b 73 08 49 8d 7e 10 48 89 fa 48 c1 ea 03 <80> 3c 02 00 0f 85 26 05 00 00 49 8b 46 10 be a6 00 00 00 48 c7 c7 RSP: 0018:ffffc90003dff830 EFLAGS: 00010212 RAX: dffffc0000000000 RBX: ffff88802594e218 RCX: 000000000000000d RDX: 0000000000000002 RSI: 0000000000002000 RDI: 0000000000000010 RBP: ffff888071880222 R08: 0000000000000005 R09: 000000000000003f R10: 000000000000000d R11: 0000000000000000 R12: ffff888071880158 R13: ffff88802594e220 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: 0000000000000004 FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff8880b9b00000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 00007fb1c08316a8 CR3: 0000000018560000 CR4: 0000000000350ee0 Call Trace: <TASK> nilfs_dat_commit_free fs/nilfs2/dat.c:114 [inline] nilfs_dat_commit_end+0x464/0x5f0 fs/nilfs2/dat.c:193 nilfs_dat_commit_update+0x26/0x40 fs/nilfs2/dat.c:236 nilfs_btree_commit_update_v+0x87/0x4a0 fs/nilfs2/btree.c:1940 nilfs_btree_commit_propagate_v fs/nilfs2/btree.c:2016 [inline] nilfs_btree_propagate_v fs/nilfs2/btree.c:2046 [inline] nilfs_btree_propagate+0xa00/0xd60 fs/nilfs2/btree.c:2088 nilfs_bmap_propagate+0x73/0x170 fs/nilfs2/bmap.c:337 nilfs_collect_file_data+0x45/0xd0 fs/nilfs2/segment.c:568 nilfs_segctor_apply_buffers+0x14a/0x470 fs/nilfs2/segment.c:1018 nilfs_segctor_scan_file+0x3f4/0x6f0 fs/nilfs2/segment.c:1067 nilfs_segctor_collect_blocks fs/nilfs2/segment.c:1197 [inline] nilfs_segctor_collect fs/nilfs2/segment.c:1503 [inline] nilfs_segctor_do_construct+0x12fc/0x6af0 fs/nilfs2/segment.c:2045 nilfs_segctor_construct+0x8e3/0xb30 fs/nilfs2/segment.c:2379 nilfs_segctor_thread_construct fs/nilfs2/segment.c:2487 [inline] nilfs_segctor_thread+0x3c3/0xf30 fs/nilfs2/segment.c:2570 kthread+0x2e4/0x3a0 kernel/kthread.c:376 ret_from_fork+0x1f/0x30 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:306 </TASK> ... If DAT metadata file is corrupted on disk, there is a case where req->pr_desc_bh is NULL and blocknr is 0 at nilfs_dat_commit_end() during a b-tree operation that cascadingly updates ancestor nodes of the b-tree, because nilfs_dat_commit_alloc() for a lower level block can initialize the blocknr on the same DAT entry between nilfs_dat_prepare_end() and nilfs_dat_commit_end(). If this happens, nilfs_dat_commit_end() calls nilfs_dat_commit_free() without valid buffer heads in req->pr_desc_bh and req->pr_bitmap_bh, and causes the NULL pointer dereference above in nilfs_palloc_commit_free_entry() function, which leads to a crash. Fix this by adding a NULL check on req->pr_desc_bh and req->pr_bitmap_bh before nilfs_palloc_commit_free_entry() in nilfs_dat_commit_free(). This also calls nilfs_error() in that case to notify that there is a fatal flaw in the filesystem metadata and prevent further operations.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2022-49007 is a Linux kernel NILFS2 filesystem crash bug. If corrupted NILFS2 metadata is processed, the kernel can hit a NULL pointer dereference and crash. Public sources do not show active exploitation or a CVSS score.

Executive priority

Treat as a stability and availability issue, not a confirmed breach indicator. Patch during normal kernel maintenance, faster for systems handling untrusted storage or filesystem images.

Technical view

The flaw is in NILFS2 nilfs_palloc_commit_free_entry(), reached through nilfs_dat_commit_end() during b-tree update handling. Corrupted DAT metadata can leave req->pr_desc_bh and req->pr_bitmap_bh NULL, causing a NULL pointer dereference. The kernel fix adds NULL checks and reports a fatal filesystem metadata flaw.

Likely exposure

Exposure is likely limited to Linux systems with NILFS2 support that mount or process NILFS2 filesystems, especially corrupted or untrusted media/images. Systems not using NILFS2 are less likely to be exposed.

Exploitation context

The source describes a syzbot-reported crash from corrupted on-disk NILFS2 metadata. No KEV listing, active exploitation, remote attack path, or privilege escalation is identified in the provided sources.

Researcher notes

Severity data is incomplete: no CVSS, CWE, or exploitation evidence is provided. The strongest evidence is the upstream kernel fix and syzbot crash trace. Assess reachability through NILFS2 usage and distribution backports.

Mitigation direction

  • Apply Linux kernel updates containing the referenced stable NILFS2 fixes.
  • Prioritize systems that mount removable, user-supplied, or untrusted filesystem images.
  • Avoid mounting untrusted NILFS2 filesystems until updated.
  • If no vendor package is available, follow your Linux distribution’s kernel guidance.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux kernels against affected versions listed in the CVE record.
  • Confirm whether NILFS2 support is enabled, loadable, or used.
  • Review vendor advisories for backported fixes matching the referenced commits.
  • Check kernel logs for NILFS2 fatal metadata errors or related crashes.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
10

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
1ADP providers
9Source links

SSVC decision data

CISA-ADPCISA Coordinator
Timestamp
Version
2.0.3
Exploitation: noneAutomatable: noTechnical Impact: partial

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

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ADP provider summaries

CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
other:ssvc
Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinuxa17564f58b11476c011d623fa1f268602a81c27c, a17564f58b11476c011d623fa1f268602a81c27c, a17564f58b11476c011d623fa1f268602a81c27c, a17564f58b11476c011d623fa1f268602a81c27c, a17564f58b11476c011d623fa1f268602a81c27c, a17564f58b11476c011d623fa1f268602a81c27c, a17564f58b11476c011d623fa1f268602a81c27c, a17564f58b11476c011d623fa1f268602a81c27cunaffected
LinuxLinux2.6.30, 0, 4.9.335, 4.14.301, 4.19.268, 5.4.226, 5.10.158, 5.15.82, 6.0.12, 6.1affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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