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CVE Record

CVE-2022-50004: xfrm: policy: fix metadata dst->dev xmit null pointer dereference

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: policy: fix metadata dst->dev xmit null pointer dereference When we try to transmit an skb with metadata_dst attached (i.e. dst->dev == NULL) through xfrm interface we can hit a null pointer dereference[1] in xfrmi_xmit2() -> xfrm_lookup_with_ifid() due to the check for a loopback skb device when there's no policy which dereferences dst->dev unconditionally. Not having dst->dev can be interepreted as it not being a loopback device, so just add a check for a null dst_orig->dev. With this fix xfrm interface's Tx error counters go up as usual. [1] net-next calltrace captured via netconsole: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 00000000000000c0 #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page PGD 0 P4D 0 Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP CPU: 1 PID: 7231 Comm: ping Kdump: loaded Not tainted 5.19.0+ #24 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.16.0-1.fc36 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:xfrm_lookup_with_ifid+0x5eb/0xa60 Code: 8d 74 24 38 e8 26 a4 37 00 48 89 c1 e9 12 fc ff ff 49 63 ed 41 83 fd be 0f 85 be 01 00 00 41 be ff ff ff ff 45 31 ed 48 8b 03 <f6> 80 c0 00 00 00 08 75 0f 41 80 bc 24 19 0d 00 00 01 0f 84 1e 02 RSP: 0018:ffffb0db82c679f0 EFLAGS: 00010246 RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffffd0db7fcad430 RCX: ffffb0db82c67a10 RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: ffffb0db82c67a80 RBP: ffffb0db82c67a80 R08: ffffb0db82c67a14 R09: 0000000000000000 R10: 0000000000000000 R11: ffff8fa449667dc8 R12: ffffffff966db880 R13: 0000000000000000 R14: 00000000ffffffff R15: 0000000000000000 FS: 00007ff35c83f000(0000) GS:ffff8fa478480000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 00000000000000c0 CR3: 000000001ebb7000 CR4: 0000000000350ee0 Call Trace: <TASK> xfrmi_xmit+0xde/0x460 ? tcf_bpf_act+0x13d/0x2a0 dev_hard_start_xmit+0x72/0x1e0 __dev_queue_xmit+0x251/0xd30 ip_finish_output2+0x140/0x550 ip_push_pending_frames+0x56/0x80 raw_sendmsg+0x663/0x10a0 ? try_charge_memcg+0x3fd/0x7a0 ? __mod_memcg_lruvec_state+0x93/0x110 ? sock_sendmsg+0x30/0x40 sock_sendmsg+0x30/0x40 __sys_sendto+0xeb/0x130 ? handle_mm_fault+0xae/0x280 ? do_user_addr_fault+0x1e7/0x680 ? kvm_read_and_reset_apf_flags+0x3b/0x50 __x64_sys_sendto+0x20/0x30 do_syscall_64+0x34/0x80 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x46/0xb0 RIP: 0033:0x7ff35cac1366 Code: eb 0b 00 f7 d8 64 89 02 48 c7 c0 ff ff ff ff eb b8 0f 1f 00 41 89 ca 64 8b 04 25 18 00 00 00 85 c0 75 11 b8 2c 00 00 00 0f 05 <48> 3d 00 f0 ff ff 77 72 c3 90 55 48 83 ec 30 44 89 4c 24 2c 4c 89 RSP: 002b:00007fff738e4028 EFLAGS: 00000246 ORIG_RAX: 000000000000002c RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 00007fff738e57b0 RCX: 00007ff35cac1366 RDX: 0000000000000040 RSI: 0000557164e4b450 RDI: 0000000000000003 RBP: 0000557164e4b450 R08: 00007fff738e7a2c R09: 0000000000000010 R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000246 R12: 0000000000000040 R13: 00007fff738e5770 R14: 00007fff738e4030 R15: 0000001d00000001 </TASK> Modules linked in: netconsole veth br_netfilter bridge bonding virtio_net [last unloaded: netconsole] CR2: 00000000000000c0

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot 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 crash bug in the XFRM networking path. Under specific packet transmission conditions involving an XFRM interface and missing destination device metadata, the kernel can dereference a null pointer. The source evidence supports denial-of-service risk, not data theft or remote code execution.

Executive priority

Schedule remediation through normal kernel patch cycles, with higher priority for systems using XFRM or IPsec networking. Escalate if those systems provide critical network services where kernel crashes would cause business disruption.

Technical view

The flaw is in xfrm_lookup_with_ifid() reached from xfrmi_xmit/xfrmi_xmit2 when transmitting an skb with metadata_dst where dst->dev is NULL. A loopback-device check dereferenced dst->dev without a null check. The fix treats a NULL device as not loopback and preserves normal Tx error accounting.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely on Linux systems running affected kernel versions that use XFRM interfaces, commonly associated with IPsec-style networking. Exact exposure depends on distro backports and kernel configuration. The provided affected-version data is incomplete and should be verified against vendor kernel advisories.

Exploitation context

The bundle reports no KEV listing and provides no evidence of active exploitation. The cited evidence is a kernel NULL pointer dereference call trace captured in a test environment. Treat this as a stability and availability issue unless vendor advisories state otherwise.

Researcher notes

Do not infer broad remote exploitability from the provided call trace. The trigger requires a specific transmit path with metadata_dst and dst->dev unset. The sources do not provide CVSS, CWE, exploit status, or complete product lifecycle mapping.

Mitigation direction

  • Update affected Linux kernels using vendor advisories or the referenced stable fixes.
  • Prioritize systems using XFRM interfaces or IPsec-related kernel networking features.
  • Check distro security notices for backported fixes before relying on upstream version numbers.
  • If immediate patching is unavailable, follow vendor guidance for supported operational mitigations.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux kernel versions and vendor backport status for CVE-2022-50004.
  • Identify hosts using XFRM interfaces or IPsec-related networking paths.
  • Review kernel logs for NULL pointer dereference traces in xfrm_lookup_with_ifid or xfrmi_xmit.
  • Confirm patched kernels include one of the referenced upstream stable fixes.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
6

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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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

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Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux5b7f84b1f9f46327360a64c529433fa0d68cc3f4, 2d151d39073aff498358543801fca0f670fea981, 2d151d39073aff498358543801fca0f670fea981, 2d151d39073aff498358543801fca0f670fea981unaffected
LinuxLinux5.15, 0, 5.10.140, 5.15.64, 5.19.6, 6.0affected
Weakness

CWE details

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