Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2022-49233 is a Linux kernel memory leak in the AMD display driver area. A local low-privileged user could potentially cause availability impact through resource exhaustion. The sources do not show data theft, integrity loss, remote attack capability, or active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat this as a scheduled patching item, not an emergency, unless affected systems are shared or availability-sensitive. The main business risk is local denial of service on vulnerable Linux systems, with no source evidence of remote compromise or active exploitation.
Technical view
The flaw is in drm/amd/display. A porting error retained a stream assignment for a link without releasing it; the fix restores a dc_stream_release() call. CVSS 3.1 is 5.5 with local attack, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, and high availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on Linux systems running affected 5.17-era kernels with the AMD display driver code present. Internet-facing status is not the key factor because the CVSS vector is local. Kernel version and downstream vendor backport status need confirmation.
Exploitation context
The bundle marks KEV as false and provides no cited evidence of exploitation in the wild. Exploitation would require local access with low privileges. Impact is limited to availability based on the supplied CVSS vector and memory leak description.
Researcher notes
The evidence is narrow but consistent: CWE-401 memory leak, Linux kernel drm/amd/display, and a fix adding dc_stream_release(). The affected-version data in the bundle is limited, so rely on distribution advisories and commit inclusion checks for precise exposure decisions.
Mitigation direction
- Update to a Linux kernel containing the referenced stable fixes.
- Check distribution vendor guidance for backported kernel packages.
- Prioritize shared workstations, GPU-enabled Linux desktops, and multi-user systems.
- Limit untrusted local user access until affected systems are patched.
- Monitor affected hosts for memory pressure or display-driver instability.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Linux hosts and record exact kernel versions.
- Identify systems using the drm/amd/display driver path.
- Compare installed kernels against vendor-fixed packages or referenced stable commits.
- Confirm no vulnerable 5.17-era kernels remain in production.
- Review patch management records for kernel update completion.
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-2022-49233 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/a28b7b6a0c827ce672edcdb5b2b5916b0beebe03CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f2bde8349c35d01d7c50456ea06a5c7d5e0e5ed0CVE 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.