Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2022-50361 is a Linux kernel issue in the Microchip WILC1000 Wi-Fi driver. If a driver initialization failure occurs, cleanup is incomplete and can trigger a kernel BUG, causing a local denial of service. This matters mainly for Linux systems using this specific Wi-Fi driver.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted availability risk, not a broad internet-facing emergency. Prioritize embedded, IoT, or Linux endpoints that use WILC1000 Wi-Fi hardware and schedule kernel updates through normal vulnerability management.
Technical view
The wilc1000 driver’s wilc_netdev_ifc_init() error path missed cfg80211_unregister_netdevice() or unregister_netdev() when alloc_ordered_workqueue() failed. Fault injection showed a kernel BUG in net/core/dev.c. The upstream fix adds unregister_netdev handling in the failure path.
Likely exposure
Exposure appears limited to Linux kernels with the wilc1000 Wi-Fi driver present and used. The CVE data lists Linux 5.17, 6.1.16, 6.2.3, and 6.3 as affected, but version-range detail is limited in the provided record.
Exploitation context
The CVSS vector is local, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, with high availability impact. No KEV listing or cited source indicates active exploitation. The issue was identified through fault injection rather than a reported in-the-wild attack.
Researcher notes
The public description ties impact to an initialization failure path after alloc_ordered_workqueue() failure. The fix is cleanup correctness in driver probe handling. Public sources do not provide exploit evidence, affected distribution mappings, or detailed vulnerable version ranges beyond the CVE record.
Mitigation direction
- Apply Linux kernel updates that include the referenced upstream stable fixes.
- Check distribution or device-vendor advisories for backported fixed kernels.
- Prioritize systems using the WILC1000 Wi-Fi driver.
- If updates are unavailable, follow vendor guidance for temporary risk reduction.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Linux systems for the wilc1000 driver or WILC1000 hardware.
- Confirm deployed kernels include the referenced stable commits or vendor backports.
- Review vendor kernel changelogs for CVE-2022-50361 coverage.
- Track systems still running listed affected kernel versions.
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.
CWE-476: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2022-50361 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H1.83.6CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a1bdecedc7ad0512365267cd1a26bfc2ae455c59CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6da6ce086221803ed6c3b1db11096cecd3e58ec8CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2b88974ecb358990e1c33fabcd0b9e142bab7f21CVE 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.
NULL Pointer Dereference
NULL Pointer Dereference represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.