LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2022-49939: binder: fix UAF of ref->proc caused by race condition

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: binder: fix UAF of ref->proc caused by race condition A transaction of type BINDER_TYPE_WEAK_HANDLE can fail to increment the reference for a node. In this case, the target proc normally releases the failed reference upon close as expected. However, if the target is dying in parallel the call will race with binder_deferred_release(), so the target could have released all of its references by now leaving the cleanup of the new failed reference unhandled. The transaction then ends and the target proc gets released making the ref->proc now a dangling pointer. Later on, ref->node is closed and we attempt to take spin_lock(&ref->proc->inner_lock), which leads to the use-after-free bug reported below. Let's fix this by cleaning up the failed reference on the spot instead of relying on the target to do so. ================================================================== BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in _raw_spin_lock+0xa8/0x150 Write of size 4 at addr ffff5ca207094238 by task kworker/1:0/590 CPU: 1 PID: 590 Comm: kworker/1:0 Not tainted 5.19.0-rc8 #10 Hardware name: linux,dummy-virt (DT) Workqueue: events binder_deferred_func Call trace: dump_backtrace.part.0+0x1d0/0x1e0 show_stack+0x18/0x70 dump_stack_lvl+0x68/0x84 print_report+0x2e4/0x61c kasan_report+0xa4/0x110 kasan_check_range+0xfc/0x1a4 __kasan_check_write+0x3c/0x50 _raw_spin_lock+0xa8/0x150 binder_deferred_func+0x5e0/0x9b0 process_one_work+0x38c/0x5f0 worker_thread+0x9c/0x694 kthread+0x188/0x190 ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysisunknown

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2022-49939 is a Linux kernel Binder bug where a race condition can leave a pointer to freed process memory. The public record shows a kernel use-after-free crash path, but does not provide CVSS, confirmed exploitation, or business-impact detail.

Executive priority

Treat this as a kernel maintenance priority, not an emergency based on current evidence. Patch through normal expedited OS update processes, with higher priority for platforms that rely on Binder or expose untrusted local workloads.

Technical view

A failed BINDER_TYPE_WEAK_HANDLE transaction can race with binder_deferred_release(). The target process may release references before cleanup, leaving ref->proc dangling. Later Binder cleanup attempts to lock ref->proc->inner_lock, triggering a KASAN-reported use-after-free in binder_deferred_func.

Likely exposure

Exposure appears limited to Linux systems running affected kernel versions with Binder functionality present and reachable. The record lists Linux kernel versions including 4.14, 4.19.258, 5.4.213, 5.10.142, 5.15.66, 5.19.8, and 6.0, but version-range detail is incomplete in the prompt bundle.

Exploitation context

The supplied sources do not show active exploitation, public exploit code, or inclusion in CISA KEV. The evidence demonstrates a race-triggered kernel use-after-free observed by KASAN, but does not establish practical exploitability or attacker prerequisites.

Researcher notes

The key uncertainty is impact. The source describes a real kernel UAF race and stable fixes, but omits CVSS, CWE, attacker privileges, attack vector, and exploit status. Avoid assuming privilege escalation without additional vendor or kernel analysis.

Mitigation direction

  • Apply vendor kernel updates that include the referenced Binder fix commits.
  • Prioritize systems where Binder is enabled or part of supported workloads.
  • Check Linux distribution advisories for exact fixed package versions.
  • Follow vendor guidance if backported fixes use different version numbers.
  • Monitor kernel logs for Binder-related crashes until patched.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory running kernel versions across Linux assets.
  • Confirm whether Binder modules or BinderFS are enabled on affected systems.
  • Map kernels against distribution advisories and referenced stable commits.
  • Verify patched systems include the Binder failed-reference cleanup fix.
  • Review crash telemetry for binder_deferred_func use-after-free signatures.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
9

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-2022-49939 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
8Source 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
LinuxLinux372e3147df7016ebeaa372939e8774a1292db558, 372e3147df7016ebeaa372939e8774a1292db558, 372e3147df7016ebeaa372939e8774a1292db558, 372e3147df7016ebeaa372939e8774a1292db558, 372e3147df7016ebeaa372939e8774a1292db558, 372e3147df7016ebeaa372939e8774a1292db558, 372e3147df7016ebeaa372939e8774a1292db558unaffected
LinuxLinux4.14, 0, 4.14.293, 4.19.258, 5.4.213, 5.10.142, 5.15.66, 5.19.8, 6.0affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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