CVE-2022-50260: drm/msm: Make .remove and .shutdown HW shutdown consistent
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
drm/msm: Make .remove and .shutdown HW shutdown consistent
Drivers' .remove and .shutdown callbacks are executed on different code
paths. The former is called when a device is removed from the bus, while
the latter is called at system shutdown time to quiesce the device.
This means that some overlap exists between the two, because both have to
take care of properly shutting down the hardware. But currently the logic
used in these two callbacks isn't consistent in msm drivers, which could
lead to kernel panic.
For example, on .remove the component is deleted and its .unbind callback
leads to the hardware being shutdown but only if the DRM device has been
marked as registered.
That check doesn't exist in the .shutdown logic and this can lead to the
driver calling drm_atomic_helper_shutdown() for a DRM device that hasn't
been properly initialized.
A situation like this can happen if drivers for expected sub-devices fail
to probe, since the .bind callback will never be executed. If that is the
case, drm_atomic_helper_shutdown() will attempt to take mutexes that are
only initialized if drm_mode_config_init() is called during a device bind.
This bug was attempted to be fixed in commit 623f279c7781 ("drm/msm: fix
shutdown hook in case GPU components failed to bind"), but unfortunately
it still happens in some cases as the one mentioned above, i.e:
systemd-shutdown[1]: Powering off.
kvm: exiting hardware virtualization
platform wifi-firmware.0: Removing from iommu group 12
platform video-firmware.0: Removing from iommu group 10
------------[ cut here ]------------
WARNING: CPU: 6 PID: 1 at drivers/gpu/drm/drm_modeset_lock.c:317 drm_modeset_lock_all_ctx+0x3c4/0x3d0
...
Hardware name: Google CoachZ (rev3+) (DT)
pstate: a0400009 (NzCv daif +PAN -UAO -TCO -DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--)
pc : drm_modeset_lock_all_ctx+0x3c4/0x3d0
lr : drm_modeset_lock_all_ctx+0x48/0x3d0
sp : ffff80000805bb80
x29: ffff80000805bb80 x28: ffff327c00128000 x27: 0000000000000000
x26: 0000000000000000 x25: 0000000000000001 x24: ffffc95d820ec030
x23: ffff327c00bbd090 x22: ffffc95d8215eca0 x21: ffff327c039c5800
x20: ffff327c039c5988 x19: ffff80000805bbe8 x18: 0000000000000034
x17: 000000040044ffff x16: ffffc95d80cac920 x15: 0000000000000000
x14: 0000000000000315 x13: 0000000000000315 x12: 0000000000000000
x11: 0000000000000000 x10: 0000000000000000 x9 : 0000000000000000
x8 : ffff80000805bc28 x7 : 0000000000000000 x6 : 0000000000000000
x5 : 0000000000000000 x4 : 0000000000000000 x3 : 0000000000000000
x2 : ffff327c00128000 x1 : 0000000000000000 x0 : ffff327c039c59b0
Call trace:
drm_modeset_lock_all_ctx+0x3c4/0x3d0
drm_atomic_helper_shutdown+0x70/0x134
msm_drv_shutdown+0x30/0x40
platform_shutdown+0x28/0x40
device_shutdown+0x148/0x350
kernel_power_off+0x38/0x80
__do_sys_reboot+0x288/0x2c0
__arm64_sys_reboot+0x28/0x34
invoke_syscall+0x48/0x114
el0_svc_common.constprop.0+0x44/0xec
do_el0_svc+0x2c/0xc0
el0_svc+0x2c/0x84
el0t_64_sync_handler+0x11c/0x150
el0t_64_sync+0x18c/0x190
---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]---
Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 0000000000000018
Mem abort info:
ESR = 0x0000000096000004
EC = 0x25: DABT (current EL), IL = 32 bits
SET = 0, FnV = 0
EA = 0, S1PTW = 0
FSC = 0x04: level 0 translation fault
Data abort info:
ISV = 0, ISS = 0x00000004
CM = 0, WnR = 0
user pgtable: 4k pages, 48-bit VAs, pgdp=000000010eab1000
[0000000000000018] pgd=0000000000000000, p4d=0000000000000000
Internal error: Oops: 96000004 [#1] PREEMPT SMP
...
Hardware name: Google CoachZ (rev3+) (DT)
pstate: a0400009 (NzCv daif +PAN -UAO -TCO -DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--)
pc : ww_mutex_lock+0x28/0x32c
lr : drm_modeset_lock_all_ctx+0x1b0/0x3d0
sp : ffff80000805bb50
x29: ffff80000805bb50 x28: ffff327c00128000 x27: 0000000000000000
x26: 00000
---truncated---
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This Linux kernel issue can crash affected systems during shutdown when the msm DRM graphics driver is not fully initialized. The business impact is mainly availability and operational reliability, not confirmed data theft or remote compromise. Exposure appears limited to Linux systems using the affected drm/msm driver paths.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted availability risk. Prioritize affected fleet segments where shutdown reliability matters, but do not escalate as an actively exploited internet-facing emergency based on the provided evidence.
Technical view
The msm DRM shutdown path could call drm_atomic_helper_shutdown() on a DRM device that was not fully initialized after sub-device probe failures. That can touch uninitialized locking state and trigger a kernel panic or NULL pointer dereference during shutdown.
Likely exposure
Likely exposed systems are Linux installations with the affected msm DRM driver and kernel versions or commits listed by CVE. The provided record names Linux only; it does not identify distributions, appliances, or cloud services.
Exploitation context
The source describes a reliability failure during system shutdown/poweroff. KEV is false, and the bundle provides no evidence of active exploitation, public exploit use, remote triggering, privilege escalation, or data exposure.
Researcher notes
The record lacks CVSS, CWE, exploitability detail, and distribution mapping. Analysis should focus on kernel version ancestry, drm/msm usage, and whether the stable commits are present. Do not infer broader product exposure without vendor confirmation.
Mitigation direction
Check vendor or distribution advisories for patched kernels containing the referenced stable commits.
Prioritize updates on devices using the msm DRM driver or affected hardware platforms.
If updates are delayed, monitor shutdown failures and kernel panic reports on exposed systems.
Avoid claiming remediation is complete until the running kernel includes the vendor fix.
Validation and detection
Inventory Linux kernel versions and determine whether drm/msm is present or loaded.
Compare deployed kernels with the affected version entries and referenced stable commits.
Review kernel logs for shutdown panics involving msm_drv_shutdown or drm_atomic_helper_shutdown.
Confirm patched systems can shut down cleanly after prior sub-device probe failure scenarios.
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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CVE-2022-50260 mapping review
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3Timeline events
0ADP providers
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CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
Sep 15, 2025, 14:02 UTC (UTC+00:00)
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