Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2022-50080 is a Linux kernel flaw in TEE shared-memory registration. A specially sized user-space memory request can trigger an integer overflow and kernel NULL pointer dereference, likely causing a local denial of service on affected systems.
Executive priority
Treat this as a scheduled but important kernel maintenance item, higher priority for systems using trusted execution environments. There is no cited active exploitation, but kernel crashes can affect availability and may carry operational risk on appliances or embedded platforms.
Technical view
The bug is in register_shm_helper() / tee_shm_register_user_buf(). Length arithmetic for a user-space memory region can overflow before pin_user_pages_fast(), reaching internal_get_user_pages_fast() with invalid state. The kernel fix adds an explicit access_ok() check to reject invalid user-space addresses earlier.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most relevant to Linux systems with TEE support reachable from local user space, including OP-TEE-related deployments. The source lists Linux kernel versions beginning at 4.16 and several stable branches as affected, but product-specific distribution status must be confirmed with vendor advisories.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show active exploitation, public exploit availability, or KEV listing. The described trigger requires user-space supplied lengths and access to the relevant TEE ioctl path, so this should be treated as a local kernel stability risk unless new evidence emerges.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record and upstream stable commit references. No CVSS, CWE, exploit status, or distribution package matrix is provided. Avoid assuming privilege escalation; the cited failure mode is a NULL pointer dereference after arithmetic overflow in the TEE shared-memory path.
Mitigation direction
- Apply Linux kernel or distribution updates containing the referenced stable fixes.
- Prioritize hosts using TEE, OP-TEE, secure-world integrations, or exposed tee device nodes.
- Check vendor kernel advisories for exact package versions and backport status.
- Restrict local access to TEE device nodes according to least privilege.
- Reboot into the fixed kernel after patching.
Validation and detection
- Inventory kernel versions and map them to vendor-fixed builds.
- Confirm whether TEE/OP-TEE drivers and device nodes are present.
- Review local permissions for TEE character devices.
- Verify the running kernel includes the access_ok() fix or vendor backport.
- Monitor for unexplained kernel NULL dereference crashes in TEE paths.
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.
CVE-2022-50080 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
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
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.
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.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b37e0f17653c00b586cdbcdf0dbca475358ecffdCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/965333345fe952cc7eebc8e3a565ffc709441af2CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/578c349570d2a912401963783b36e0ec7a25c053CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c12f0e6126ad223806a365084e86370511654bf1CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2f8e79a1a6128214cb9b205a9869341af5dfb16bCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/58c008d4d398f792ca67f35650610864725518fdCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/573ae4f13f630d6660008f1974c0a8a29c30e18aCVE 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.