Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2022-49135 is a Linux kernel AMD display driver memory leak on an error path. A local low-privileged user could trigger availability impact, but the sources do not show remote exposure, data theft, integrity impact, or active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat as a routine but real availability patching item. It should not outrank remotely exploitable or data-exposure vulnerabilities, but shared Linux workstations and GPU systems should be updated through normal kernel maintenance.
Technical view
The flaw is CWE-401 in drm/amd/display. Resource cleanup was missing on an error handling path, causing memory not to be freed. The documented fix adds kfree on that path. CVSS 3.1 is 5.5: local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, high availability impact.
Likely exposure
Systems running affected Linux kernel versions with the AMD display DRM component are the likely exposure. Risk is higher on workstations, GPU-enabled desktops, and shared Linux systems where untrusted local users have access.
Exploitation context
The provided sources mark KEV as false and do not cite active exploitation. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and appears limited to denial-of-service style availability impact from memory leakage, based on the CVSS vector and kernel description.
Researcher notes
Evidence is narrow: the public description identifies a memory leak fixed by kfree on an error path, with no exploit details. The affected version data is sparse and should be reconciled against distribution kernel advisories and the referenced stable commits.
Mitigation direction
- Update to a vendor or stable Linux kernel containing the referenced fix.
- Prioritize shared systems and hosts with AMD display hardware.
- Check distribution advisories for backported kernel package status.
- Limit untrusted local user access where patching is delayed.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Linux kernel versions on AMD display-capable systems.
- Confirm whether installed kernels include the referenced stable commits or vendor backports.
- Review fleet exposure for shared local-user access.
- Track vendor advisories until package status is explicit.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-401: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2022-49135 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H1.83.6CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5076315aaddd640bde896ec8d79423ed8ec83a59CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7e10369c72db7a0e2f77b2e306aadc07aef6b07aCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3ce1497add6d17b48cc9df65095bd20202d93994CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9d0bef3cc22cf250278ed45b829f062a00af9e27CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5d5c6dba2b43e28845d7d7ed32a36802329a5f52CVE reference, Linux
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime
Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.