Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2022-50380 is a Linux kernel flaw that can crash affected systems through a null pointer dereference in /proc/pid/smaps_rollup. It does not indicate data theft or privilege escalation, but it can affect availability when a local low-privileged user can reach the vulnerable path.
Executive priority
Treat as a routine but real availability risk. It is not described as remotely exploitable, but shared Linux infrastructure should be patched through normal kernel maintenance because a local crash can disrupt services.
Technical view
A change identified as commit 258f669e7e88 introduced a null dereference in show_smaps_rollup when a task has no VMAs. The issue is classified as CWE-476 with CVSS 3.1 score 5.5: local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, and high availability impact only.
Likely exposure
Exposure is mainly Linux systems running affected kernel builds where local users or workloads can access procfs task memory summary interfaces. Multi-user servers, shared development hosts, and container platforms should prioritize inventory because local access is required.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. The supported impact is local denial of service through a kernel null dereference, not remote compromise or data exposure.
Researcher notes
The affected code path is /proc/pid/smaps_rollup in the memory-management procfs reporting logic. Evidence is limited to the CVE description, CVSS vector, affected Linux version data, and upstream stable commit references. No exploit maturity details are provided.
Mitigation direction
- Apply Linux kernel updates containing the referenced stable fixes.
- Check distribution advisories for fixed kernel packages for your supported release.
- Prioritize shared systems with untrusted local users or container workloads.
- Limit unnecessary local access until patched.
- Track reboot requirements after kernel package installation.
Validation and detection
- Inventory running Linux kernel versions across servers and images.
- Compare kernel packages against vendor advisories for CVE-2022-50380.
- Confirm deployed kernels include the relevant stable fix commit.
- Review multi-user and container hosts for higher availability exposure.
- Verify monitoring covers unexpected kernel crashes or host reboots.
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-2022-50380 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.
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:H1.83.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability 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
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dbe863bce7679c7f5ec0e993d834fe16c5e687b5CVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6bb8769326c46db3058780c0640dcc49d8187b24CVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a50ed2d28727ff605d95fb9a53be8ff94e8eaaf4CVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/33fc9e26b7cb39f0d4219c875a2451802249c225CVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/97898139ca9b81ba9322a585e07490983c53b55aCVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c4c84f06285e48f80e9843d0775ad92714ffc35aCVE reference
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.