Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a Linux kernel driver flaw affecting SBSA PL011 UART handling, mainly relevant to ARM server or virtualized environments. The driver may touch a DMA register that SBSA UARTs do not implement. On Xen virtual SBSA PL011 devices, that can trigger a guest fault and process crash. No active exploitation is reported in the provided sources.
Executive priority
Treat as targeted infrastructure maintenance, not an emergency internet-wide threat. Prioritize affected ARM virtualization platforms because the issue can destabilize guests or services relying on serial console behavior. Track through normal kernel patch cycles unless critical Xen ARM workloads are exposed.
Technical view
The Linux amba-pl011 serial driver shared stop_rx behavior between standard PL011 and SBSA UART paths. With CONFIG_DMA_ENGINE=y, pl011_dma_rx_stop could access DMACR even though SBSA UART has no DMA support. Xen VPL011 may inject a data abort on that unimplemented register access. The referenced kernel fixes add a using_rx_dma check before accessing DMACR.
Likely exposure
Exposure appears limited to Linux systems using SBSA PL011 UARTs, especially Xen virtual SBSA PL011 on ARM, with DMA engine enabled. Conventional SBSA PL011 hardware may ignore the write and show no obvious issue, according to the source description.
Exploitation context
The provided sources describe a reliability failure, not a remote compromise path. The observed impact is a guest data abort and application segmentation fault during UART shutdown paths. CISA KEV is false in the bundle, and no cited source states active exploitation.
Researcher notes
CVSS, CWE, and detailed exploitability data are not provided in the bundle. The clearest affected scenario is Xen VPL011, where unimplemented DMACR access causes a guest fault. Avoid assuming broader impact beyond SBSA PL011 configurations without vendor confirmation.
Mitigation direction
- Review vendor kernel advisories for CVE-2022-50625 and applicable stable backports.
- Update to a kernel containing the referenced amba-pl011 SBSA UART fix.
- Prioritize Xen ARM guests using virtual SBSA PL011 devices.
- If unable to patch, ask the OS vendor for supported workarounds.
Validation and detection
- Inventory ARM Linux systems and Xen guests using SBSA PL011 or VPL011 UARTs.
- Check whether kernels are built with CONFIG_DMA_ENGINE enabled.
- Compare running kernel source or package changelog against referenced stable commits.
- Review logs for data aborts involving pl011_stop_rx or tty shutdown 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-2022-50625 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.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1c5f0d3f480abd8c26761b6b1f486822e77faea3CVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a4ea20ab82aa2b197dc7b08f51e1d615578276a0CVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/78d837ce20517e0c1ff3ebe08ad64636e02c2e48CVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/965f07ea5fd1b9591bcccc825a93ad883e56222cCVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d5b16eb076f46c88d02d41ece5bec4e0d89158bbCVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d71a611fca1984c0765f9317ff471ac8cd0e3e2fCVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/38a10fdd54d17590d45cb1c43b9889da383b6b1aCVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/64bc5dbc3260230e2f022288c71e5c680059384aCVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/94cdb9f33698478b0e7062586633c42c6158a786CVE 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.