Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2022-49445 is a Linux kernel flaw in Renesas pin control handling. If a required hardware resource is missing, the kernel can dereference a null pointer and crash. The public data rates this medium, with local low-privileged access and availability impact only; no confidentiality or integrity impact is described.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted availability risk, not a broad internet-facing emergency. Patch during normal kernel maintenance unless Renesas-based devices provide local user access to untrusted users or support critical operations where a crash has business impact.
Technical view
The bug is CWE-476 in sh_pfc_map_resources(). platform_get_resource() may return NULL, and later use of that resource can trigger a null pointer dereference. The kernel fix moves resource use after checked mapping and simplifies the path with devm_platform_get_and_ioremap_resource().
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on Linux systems using the Renesas pinctrl/PFC driver, especially embedded or board-specific Renesas platforms. Generic Linux servers without that driver or hardware path are less likely exposed. Confirm exact kernel branch, configuration, and vendor backports.
Exploitation context
The provided CVSS vector requires local access with low privileges and no user interaction. Impact is denial of service through kernel crash. The source bundle says KEV is false and provides no evidence of active exploitation or public weaponization.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record description, CVSS metadata, KEV false status, and Linux stable commit references. No exploit details, affected distribution matrix, or operational workaround is provided in the bundle.
Mitigation direction
- Apply vendor Linux kernel updates that include the referenced stable fixes.
- Prioritize embedded Renesas-based systems and products with local user access.
- Check distribution advisories for backported fixes before relying on version strings.
- Restrict unnecessary local shell or application access on exposed devices.
- Plan reboot windows where kernel updates require restart.
Validation and detection
- Inventory kernels running Renesas pinctrl/PFC support.
- Compare deployed kernels against vendor advisories and referenced stable commits.
- Review kernel configuration and device tree use of the affected driver path.
- Confirm patched behavior in staging before production rollout.
- Monitor systems for unexpected kernel oops or crash reports.
Public sources used
- CVE Program
- CVE List V5
- Linux stable commit f991879762392c19661af5b722578089a12b305f
- Linux stable commit 5ed0519d425619b435150372cce2ffeec71581fa
- Linux stable commit e3a1ad8fd0ac11f4fa1260c23b5db71a25473254
- Linux stable commit fb4f022b3ad1f3ff3cafdbc7d51896090ae17701
- Linux stable commit 5376e3d904532e657fd7ca1a9b1ff3d351527b90
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-476: 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-2022-49445 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/f991879762392c19661af5b722578089a12b305fCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5ed0519d425619b435150372cce2ffeec71581faCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e3a1ad8fd0ac11f4fa1260c23b5db71a25473254CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fb4f022b3ad1f3ff3cafdbc7d51896090ae17701CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5376e3d904532e657fd7ca1a9b1ff3d351527b90CVE 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.
NULL Pointer Dereference
NULL Pointer Dereference represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.