Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2022-49542 is a Linux kernel availability issue in the lpfc SCSI driver. Under certain logging behavior, the system can enter a hard lockup and panic. This is not described as data theft or privilege escalation; the business impact is service interruption on affected Linux systems using this driver.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted availability risk. Prioritize patching for storage-connected or uptime-sensitive Linux systems using lpfc. It is not currently evidenced as internet-exploited or data-compromising, but a kernel panic can still cause business disruption.
Technical view
The flaw is a locking issue in the Linux kernel lpfc driver. The same CPU can attempt to acquire phba->port_list_lock twice during lpfc_dmp_dbg() logging, causing a hard lockup and kernel panic. CVSS is 5.5: local access, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, high availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on Linux systems running affected kernel versions with the lpfc driver in use. The source lists affected Linux versions including 5.12, 5.15.46, 5.17.14, 5.18.3, and 5.19. Systems not using this driver are less likely to be exposed.
Exploitation context
The CVE record indicates local, low-privilege attack conditions and no user interaction. Public sources provided do not show active exploitation, and the CVE is not marked KEV. The practical impact is denial of service through kernel lockup rather than confidentiality or integrity compromise.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record and Linux stable commit references. The fix moves cfg_log_verbose checks before lpfc_dmp_dbg() to avoid unnecessary locking. No public exploit evidence or additional vendor-specific advisories were provided in the source bundle.
Mitigation direction
- Update affected Linux kernels using vendor or distribution security guidance.
- Confirm the fix is included via the referenced stable kernel commits.
- Prioritize systems where the lpfc driver is loaded or required.
- If patching is delayed, review vendor guidance for safe interim controls.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Linux kernel versions across servers and appliances.
- Identify systems where the lpfc driver is present or active.
- Compare installed kernel builds against vendor advisories and stable commit inclusion.
- Review crash logs for hard lockup or kernel panic traces involving lpfc.
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-667: 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-2022-49542 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/271725e4028559ae7974d762a8467dc9de412f2eCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cc6501afccec55b8b6c90584cbf71f1fefa77d1eCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/09c772557a4fd9490fed1bfb133268313ea22213CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e294647b1aed4247fe52851f3a3b2b19ae906228CVE 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.
Improper Locking
Improper Locking represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.