LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2022-49509: media: i2c: max9286: fix kernel oops when removing module

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: media: i2c: max9286: fix kernel oops when removing module When removing the max9286 module we get a kernel oops: Unable to handle kernel paging request at virtual address 000000aa00000094 Mem abort info: ESR = 0x96000004 EC = 0x25: DABT (current EL), IL = 32 bits SET = 0, FnV = 0 EA = 0, S1PTW = 0 FSC = 0x04: level 0 translation fault Data abort info: ISV = 0, ISS = 0x00000004 CM = 0, WnR = 0 user pgtable: 4k pages, 48-bit VAs, pgdp=0000000880d85000 [000000aa00000094] pgd=0000000000000000, p4d=0000000000000000 Internal error: Oops: 96000004 [#1] PREEMPT SMP Modules linked in: fsl_jr_uio caam_jr rng_core libdes caamkeyblob_desc caamhash_desc caamalg_desc crypto_engine max9271 authenc crct10dif_ce mxc_jpeg_encdec CPU: 2 PID: 713 Comm: rmmod Tainted: G C 5.15.5-00057-gaebcd29c8ed7-dirty #5 Hardware name: Freescale i.MX8QXP MEK (DT) pstate: 80000005 (Nzcv daif -PAN -UAO -TCO -DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--) pc : i2c_mux_del_adapters+0x24/0xf0 lr : max9286_remove+0x28/0xd0 [max9286] sp : ffff800013a9bbf0 x29: ffff800013a9bbf0 x28: ffff00080b6da940 x27: 0000000000000000 x26: 0000000000000000 x25: 0000000000000000 x24: 0000000000000000 x23: ffff000801a5b970 x22: ffff0008048b0890 x21: ffff800009297000 x20: ffff0008048b0f70 x19: 000000aa00000064 x18: 0000000000000000 x17: 0000000000000000 x16: 0000000000000000 x15: 0000000000000000 x14: 0000000000000014 x13: 0000000000000000 x12: ffff000802da49e8 x11: ffff000802051918 x10: ffff000802da4920 x9 : ffff000800030098 x8 : 0101010101010101 x7 : 7f7f7f7f7f7f7f7f x6 : fefefeff6364626d x5 : 8080808000000000 x4 : 0000000000000000 x3 : 0000000000000000 x2 : ffffffffffffffff x1 : ffff00080b6da940 x0 : 0000000000000000 Call trace: i2c_mux_del_adapters+0x24/0xf0 max9286_remove+0x28/0xd0 [max9286] i2c_device_remove+0x40/0x110 __device_release_driver+0x188/0x234 driver_detach+0xc4/0x150 bus_remove_driver+0x60/0xe0 driver_unregister+0x34/0x64 i2c_del_driver+0x58/0xa0 max9286_i2c_driver_exit+0x1c/0x490 [max9286] __arm64_sys_delete_module+0x194/0x260 invoke_syscall+0x48/0x114 el0_svc_common.constprop.0+0xd4/0xfc do_el0_svc+0x2c/0x94 el0_svc+0x28/0x80 el0t_64_sync_handler+0xa8/0x130 el0t_64_sync+0x1a0/0x1a4 The Oops happens because the I2C client data does not point to max9286_priv anymore but to v4l2_subdev. The change happened in max9286_init() which calls v4l2_i2c_subdev_init() later on... Besides fixing the max9286_remove() function, remove the call to i2c_set_clientdata() in max9286_probe(), to avoid confusion, and make the necessary changes to max9286_init() so that it doesn't have to use i2c_get_clientdata() in order to fetch the pointer to priv.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysislow

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This Linux kernel issue can crash affected systems when the MAX9286 media driver module is removed. The evidence points to a specialized driver lifecycle bug, not a broad remote compromise. Exposure is mainly embedded or camera-related Linux systems using this driver.

Executive priority

Treat as a targeted operational stability issue. Patch affected embedded or camera systems during normal maintenance unless the driver is used in safety-critical or high-availability environments, where earlier remediation is justified.

Technical view

The max9286 remove path called I2C mux cleanup after client data no longer pointed to max9286_priv, causing a kernel oops during module unload. The fix adjusts max9286_remove, removes confusing clientdata setup, and changes max9286_init pointer handling.

Likely exposure

Likely limited to Linux systems that include and use the media i2c max9286 driver, especially embedded platforms with MAX9286 camera deserializer hardware. General-purpose servers are unlikely to be exposed unless this driver is present and used.

Exploitation context

No active exploitation is stated in the provided sources, and KEV is false. The observed failure occurs during module removal, which normally requires privileged local control. Remote or unauthenticated exploitation is not supported by the evidence provided.

Researcher notes

The source describes a pointer confusion in driver teardown after v4l2_i2c_subdev_init changes I2C client data ownership. The public record lacks CVSS, CWE, exploitability detail, and distribution-specific package mapping.

Mitigation direction

  • Apply a kernel version or vendor backport containing the referenced max9286 fix.
  • Confirm distribution advisories for the exact kernel package in use.
  • Avoid unloading the max9286 module on affected systems until patched.
  • Prioritize embedded or camera platforms using MAX9286 hardware.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory kernels for the media i2c max9286 driver.
  • Check whether MAX9286 hardware or device-tree entries are present.
  • Verify the running kernel includes the referenced stable fix commit.
  • Review crash logs for max9286_remove or i2c_mux_del_adapters oops traces.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
6

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

Potential ATT&CK relevance

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.

cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2022-49509 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
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
0ADP providers
5Source links

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

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux66d8c9d2422da21ed41f75c03ba0685987b65fe0, 66d8c9d2422da21ed41f75c03ba0685987b65fe0, 66d8c9d2422da21ed41f75c03ba0685987b65fe0, 66d8c9d2422da21ed41f75c03ba0685987b65fe0unaffected
LinuxLinux5.9, 0, 5.15.46, 5.17.14, 5.18.3, 5.19affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.