Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This Linux kernel issue can crash affected systems when memory allocation fails in Broadcom SoC support code. It is an availability risk, not a data theft or privilege-escalation issue based on the supplied evidence. It requires local access and low privileges, so urgency is highest for shared systems or devices where untrusted local users can run code.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate availability issue. It is not supported as remotely exploitable or actively exploited, but kernel crashes can affect service reliability. Patch through normal kernel maintenance, faster for shared systems, appliances, and environments with untrusted local users.
Technical view
CVE-2022-49448 is a CWE-476 NULL pointer dereference in Linux soc/bcm code. devm_kzalloc() could return NULL, and later pd->pmb access may dereference it. The supplied CVSS vector is local, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, unchanged scope, and high availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on Linux systems using affected Broadcom SoC kernel code and kernel builds that lack the cited stable fixes. Internet-facing exposure is not indicated by the source bundle. Kernel version and downstream vendor backport status determine practical exposure.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show active exploitation, and KEV is false. The vulnerability is locally reachable per CVSS and primarily enables denial of service through a kernel crash condition when allocation failure is mishandled. No public exploit status is supported by the provided sources.
Researcher notes
The record points to stable kernel commits that add defensive checking around devm_kzalloc(). Affected-version evidence in the bundle is limited and partly commit-oriented, so confirm against upstream stable commits and downstream vendor backports. Do not infer confidentiality, integrity, or remote attack impact from the supplied sources.
Mitigation direction
- Update to a kernel or vendor package containing the cited stable fixes.
- Check Linux distribution advisories for backported fixes before relying on version numbers.
- Prioritize shared hosts and Broadcom SoC devices allowing local user access.
- If patching is delayed, restrict untrusted local access where operationally feasible.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Linux kernel versions and downstream vendor patch status.
- Confirm the relevant kernel tree contains the devm_kzalloc() NULL check fix.
- Identify assets using affected Broadcom SoC support code.
- Review kernel logs for related oops, panics, or unexpected reboots.
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-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-2022-49448 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/5650e103bfc70156001615861fb8aafb3947da6eCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/36339ea7bae4943be01c8e9545e46e334591fecdCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b48b98743b568bb219152ba2e15af6ef0d3d8a9bCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b4bd2aafacce48db26b0a213d849818d940556ddCVE 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.