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CVE Record

CVE-2022-49876: wifi: mac80211: fix general-protection-fault in ieee80211_subif_start_xmit()

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: fix general-protection-fault in ieee80211_subif_start_xmit() When device is running and the interface status is changed, the gpf issue is triggered. The problem triggering process is as follows: Thread A: Thread B ieee80211_runtime_change_iftype() process_one_work() ... ... ieee80211_do_stop() ... ... ... sdata->bss = NULL ... ... ieee80211_subif_start_xmit() ieee80211_multicast_to_unicast //!sdata->bss->multicast_to_unicast cause gpf issue When the interface status is changed, the sending queue continues to send packets. After the bss is set to NULL, the bss is accessed. As a result, this causes a general-protection-fault issue. The following is the stack information: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc000000002f: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP KASAN KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000178-0x000000000000017f] Workqueue: mld mld_ifc_work RIP: 0010:ieee80211_subif_start_xmit+0x25b/0x1310 Call Trace: <TASK> dev_hard_start_xmit+0x1be/0x990 __dev_queue_xmit+0x2c9a/0x3b60 ip6_finish_output2+0xf92/0x1520 ip6_finish_output+0x6af/0x11e0 ip6_output+0x1ed/0x540 mld_sendpack+0xa09/0xe70 mld_ifc_work+0x71c/0xdb0 process_one_work+0x9bf/0x1710 worker_thread+0x665/0x1080 kthread+0x2e4/0x3a0 ret_from_fork+0x1f/0x30 </TASK>

MediumCVSS 5.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This is a Linux kernel Wi-Fi bug that can crash a system when interface state changes race with packet transmission. The main business impact is availability loss on affected Linux systems using mac80211-based wireless networking, not data theft or privilege escalation based on the provided sources.

Executive priority

Treat as a normal-priority availability patch for Linux endpoints or appliances using Wi-Fi. Escalate if affected systems are shared, exposed to untrusted local users, or availability-sensitive.

Technical view

The flaw is a NULL pointer dereference in mac80211 ieee80211_subif_start_xmit(). During interface type/status changes, sdata->bss can be set to NULL while queued traffic still reaches transmit code, causing a general-protection fault when multicast_to_unicast is accessed.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely on Linux systems running affected kernel versions identified in the CVE source, especially systems using Wi-Fi interfaces backed by mac80211. Distribution kernel backports may change exposure, so version checks should use vendor advisories or package changelogs.

Exploitation context

The CVSS vector is local, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, and high availability impact. The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing, active exploitation, public weaponization, or remote exploitation evidence.

Researcher notes

Evidence supports a race-triggered NULL dereference in mac80211 transmit handling. The sources provide crash context and stable commit references, but not exploit maturity, distribution-specific package status, or a standalone mitigation beyond applying fixed kernels.

Mitigation direction

  • Update to a kernel containing the referenced stable fixes.
  • Check Linux distribution advisories for backported kernel packages.
  • Prioritize affected Wi-Fi-enabled systems where local users or workloads are untrusted.
  • If patching is delayed, review vendor guidance for operational mitigations.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory kernel versions on Linux systems with Wi-Fi enabled.
  • Confirm whether mac80211-based wireless interfaces are present and active.
  • Map installed kernels against vendor advisories and referenced stable commits.
  • Review crash logs for general-protection faults in ieee80211_subif_start_xmit().
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
4

Public sources used

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

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ATT&CK lookup starting points

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cwe · low confidence lookup

CWE-476: Exact CWE lookup

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2022-49876 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
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

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.

1CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
1ADP providers
3Source links

SSVC decision data

CISA-ADPCISA Coordinator
Timestamp
Version
2.0.3
Exploitation: noneAutomatable: noTechnical Impact: partial

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We 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.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
5.5CVSS 3.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H1.83.6CISA-ADP

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

5.5Medium
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2022-49876Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

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.

ADP provider summaries

CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
cvssV3_1other:ssvc

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinuxf856373e2f31ffd340e47e2b00027bd4070f74b3, f856373e2f31ffd340e47e2b00027bd4070f74b3unaffected
LinuxLinux5.19, 0, 6.0.9, 6.1affected
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-476

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

CWE-476 · source CWE mapping

NULL Pointer Dereference

NULL Pointer Dereference represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.

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