Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a Linux kernel crash issue in the ath11k Wi-Fi driver. If spectral scan is enabled and the ath11k module is removed, the system can hit a NULL pointer dereference and crash. The impact is availability, not data theft or privilege escalation based on the provided sources.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate reliability risk for Linux-based wireless devices, appliances, or embedded platforms. Prioritize patching where ath11k hardware is used and module reloads or diagnostics are common. It is not currently evidenced as internet-exploited or confidentiality-impacting.
Technical view
CVE-2022-49523 is a CWE-476 NULL pointer dereference in Linux ath11k spectral cleanup. During module removal with spectral scan enabled, firmware may still deliver spectral data after the spectral dbring is cleaned, causing an oops in ath11k_spectral_process_data. The fix disables spectral scan via WMI before spectral deinit cleanup.
Likely exposure
Exposure is mainly Linux systems using ath11k-supported Qualcomm WLAN hardware with affected kernel builds and spectral scan enabled. The source lists Linux kernel versions around 5.6 through fixed stable releases, but downstream distro backports may change actual exposure.
Exploitation context
The CVSS vector is local, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, with high availability impact. The provided sources do not show active exploitation, and CISA KEV status is false. Triggering requires local ability to remove ath11k modules while spectral scan is enabled.
Researcher notes
The published fix sequence is narrowly scoped: send spectral scan disable WMI command before cleaning spectral dbring in spectral_deinit. The crash was observed on QCN6122 hw1.0. Affected downstream kernels require vendor-specific confirmation because Linux distributions often backport fixes without changing major versions.
Mitigation direction
- Update to a kernel containing the referenced stable ath11k fixes.
- Use your Linux distribution or device vendor advisory to confirm backported fixes.
- Avoid unloading ath11k modules while spectral scan is enabled until fixed.
- If operationally possible, disable spectral scan before ath11k module removal.
Validation and detection
- Identify systems using the ath11k driver and Qualcomm WLAN hardware.
- Check running kernel versions against vendor-fixed builds or referenced stable commits.
- Review kernel logs for ath11k_spectral_process_data NULL pointer oops traces.
- Confirm whether spectral scan is enabled in affected operational workflows.
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
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ATT&CK lookup starting points
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CWE-476: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2022-49523 mapping review
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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/60afa4f4e1350c876d8a061182a70c224de275ddCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/451b9076903a057b7b8d5b24dc84b3e436a1c743CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4b9c54caef58d2b55074710952cda70540722c01CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8f15e67af9bec5a69e815e0230a70cffddae371aCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/161c64de239c7018e0295e7e0520a19f00aa32dcCVE 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.