Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This Linux kernel issue can crash affected devices when /proc/kcore is read on systems using pstore with the ram/ramoops backend. The most likely business impact is local denial of service on specific configurations, not remote compromise. No active exploitation is reported in the provided sources.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted stability risk for affected Linux fleets, especially embedded, appliance, or ChromeOS-like devices using ramoops. Patch through normal kernel maintenance unless critical systems depend on /proc/kcore diagnostics or have panic-on-oops behavior.
Technical view
The bug is in Linux pstore ram backend memory mapping. Ramoops reserved memory is vmapped without VM_IOREMAP, and read_kcore can pass it through vmalloc_to_page and kmap_atomic assumptions, causing a kernel oops. The fix marks the vmap area with VM_IOREMAP so kcore reads return zeros for that region.
Likely exposure
Exposure appears limited to Linux systems using pstore with the ram/ramoops backend where /proc/kcore can be read. Many environments restrict /proc/kcore to privileged users, but the source bundle does not specify required privileges.
Exploitation context
The described trigger is local reading of /proc/kcore on affected devices. The provided sources do not indicate remote exploitation, privilege escalation, public exploit availability, or CISA KEV listing.
Researcher notes
Severity metadata, CVSS, and CWE are absent in the bundle. Affected version data is partially ambiguous, so rely on vendor advisories and commit presence rather than version strings alone. Do not infer broader memory disclosure or code execution from the provided description.
Mitigation direction
- Update to a vendor kernel containing the referenced upstream stable fix.
- Prioritize systems using pstore ram/ramoops and exposing /proc/kcore to administrators or tooling.
- If patching is delayed, avoid diagnostic workflows that read /proc/kcore on affected systems.
- Check Linux distribution advisories for exact fixed package versions.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Linux kernel versions and pstore ram/ramoops usage.
- Confirm whether /proc/kcore is present and accessible to operational users or tools.
- Verify the running kernel includes one of the referenced stable commits or vendor backport.
- Review logs for kernel oops events during kcore reads.
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-2022-50849 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/1579bed1613802a323a1e14567faa95c149e105eCVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fdebcc33b663d2e8da937653ddfbfc1315047eaaCVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6d9460214e363e1f3d0756ee5d947e76e3e6f86cCVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4d3126f242a0090342ffe925c35fb4f4252b7562CVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/295f59cd2cdeed841850d02dddde3a122cbf6fc6CVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ebc73c4f266281e2cad1a372ecd81572d95375b6CVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/69dbff7d2681c55a4d979fd9b75576303e69979fCVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2f82381d0681b10f9ddd27be98c27363b5a3cd1cCVE reference
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e6b842741b4f39007215fd7e545cb55aa3d358a2CVE 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.
