CVE-2022-50144: soundwire: revisit driver bind/unbind and callbacks
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
soundwire: revisit driver bind/unbind and callbacks
In the SoundWire probe, we store a pointer from the driver ops into
the 'slave' structure. This can lead to kernel oopses when unbinding
codec drivers, e.g. with the following sequence to remove machine
driver and codec driver.
/sbin/modprobe -r snd_soc_sof_sdw
/sbin/modprobe -r snd_soc_rt711
The full details can be found in the BugLink below, for reference the
two following examples show different cases of driver ops/callbacks
being invoked after the driver .remove().
kernel: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000150
kernel: Workqueue: events cdns_update_slave_status_work [soundwire_cadence]
kernel: RIP: 0010:mutex_lock+0x19/0x30
kernel: Call Trace:
kernel: ? sdw_handle_slave_status+0x426/0xe00 [soundwire_bus 94ff184bf398570c3f8ff7efe9e32529f532e4ae]
kernel: ? newidle_balance+0x26a/0x400
kernel: ? cdns_update_slave_status_work+0x1e9/0x200 [soundwire_cadence 1bcf98eebe5ba9833cd433323769ac923c9c6f82]
kernel: BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: ffffffffc07654c8
kernel: Workqueue: pm pm_runtime_work
kernel: RIP: 0010:sdw_bus_prep_clk_stop+0x6f/0x160 [soundwire_bus]
kernel: Call Trace:
kernel: <TASK>
kernel: sdw_cdns_clock_stop+0xb5/0x1b0 [soundwire_cadence 1bcf98eebe5ba9833cd433323769ac923c9c6f82]
kernel: intel_suspend_runtime+0x5f/0x120 [soundwire_intel aca858f7c87048d3152a4a41bb68abb9b663a1dd]
kernel: ? dpm_sysfs_remove+0x60/0x60
This was not detected earlier in Intel tests since the tests first
remove the parent PCI device and shut down the bus. The sequence
above is a corner case which keeps the bus operational but without a
driver bound.
While trying to solve this kernel oopses, it became clear that the
existing SoundWire bus does not deal well with the unbind case.
Commit 528be501b7d4a ("soundwire: sdw_slave: add probe_complete structure and new fields")
added a 'probed' status variable and a 'probe_complete'
struct completion. This status is however not reset on remove and
likewise the 'probe complete' is not re-initialized, so the
bind/unbind/bind test cases would fail. The timeout used before the
'update_status' callback was also a bad idea in hindsight, there
should really be no timing assumption as to if and when a driver is
bound to a device.
An initial draft was based on device_lock() and device_unlock() was
tested. This proved too complicated, with deadlocks created during the
suspend-resume sequences, which also use the same device_lock/unlock()
as the bind/unbind sequences. On a CometLake device, a bad DSDT/BIOS
caused spurious resumes and the use of device_lock() caused hangs
during suspend. After multiple weeks or testing and painful
reverse-engineering of deadlocks on different devices, we looked for
alternatives that did not interfere with the device core.
A bus notifier was used successfully to keep track of DRIVER_BOUND and
DRIVER_UNBIND events. This solved the bind-unbind-bind case in tests,
but it can still be defeated with a theoretical corner case where the
memory is freed by a .remove while the callback is in use. The
notifier only helps make sure the driver callbacks are valid, but not
that the memory allocated in probe remains valid while the callbacks
are invoked.
This patch suggests the introduction of a new 'sdw_dev_lock' mutex
protecting probe/remove and all driver callbacks. Since this mutex is
'local' to SoundWire only, it does not interfere with existing locks
and does not create deadlocks. In addition, this patch removes the
'probe_complete' completion, instead we directly invoke the
'update_status' from the probe routine. That removes any sort of
timing dependency and a much better support for the device/driver
model, the driver could be bound before the bus started, or eons after
the bus started and the hardware would be properly initialized in all
cases.
BugLink: https://github.com/thesofproject/linux/is
---truncated---
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a Linux kernel SoundWire driver lifecycle bug. In a specific bind/unbind corner case, stale driver callback pointers can be used after a codec driver is removed, causing a kernel crash. The main business risk shown by the sources is endpoint or server instability, not confirmed remote compromise.
Executive priority
Treat as a focused stability remediation. Patch through normal kernel maintenance, with higher urgency for fleets where SoundWire audio drivers are present or driver lifecycle operations are automated.
Technical view
SoundWire stored driver ops in the slave structure and did not safely coordinate probe, remove, and callbacks. Callback paths could run after driver removal, causing NULL dereference or page fault oopses. The fix introduces SoundWire-local locking and changes probe status handling to remove timing assumptions around driver binding.
Likely exposure
Exposure appears limited to Linux systems with SoundWire support and affected kernel builds, especially systems using SoundWire codec drivers. The CVE source lists Linux kernel affected ranges and stable kernel commit references, but does not provide distro package mappings.
Exploitation context
The source describes crashes triggered by driver unbind/removal ordering and calls it a corner case. CISA KEV is false in the bundle, and no cited source states active exploitation. The evidence supports local reliability impact, not public exploitation or remote attackability.
Researcher notes
Evidence is strongest for kernel oops conditions around SoundWire bind/unbind and runtime callbacks. The bundle lacks CVSS, CWE, exploitability analysis, and distro fix matrices. Do not assume broader privilege escalation without additional vendor or maintainer evidence.
Mitigation direction
Update to a kernel containing the referenced stable SoundWire fixes.
Check your Linux distribution advisory for fixed package versions.
Prioritize affected laptops or embedded systems using SoundWire audio hardware.
Avoid operational workflows that unbind affected SoundWire codec drivers until patched.
Validation and detection
Inventory kernel versions and identify systems with SoundWire modules or hardware.
Compare installed kernel builds with vendor advisories and referenced stable commits.
Review kernel logs for SoundWire-related oopses during driver removal or runtime power events.
Confirm patched systems no longer carry the vulnerable SoundWire callback behavior.
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-2022-50144 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
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.
CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
Jun 18, 2025, 11:03 UTC (UTC+00:00)
CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.