Linux Kernel up to 5.15.45/5.17.13/5.18.2 bcm devm_kzalloc null pointer dereference

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability marked as critical has been reported in Linux Kernel up to 5.15.45/5.17.13/5.18.2. Impacted is the function devm_kzalloc of the component bcm. This manipulation causes null pointer dereference. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2022-49448. There is no exploit available. It is suggested to upgrade the affected component.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability has been found in Linux Kernel up to 5.15.45/5.17.13/5.18.2 and classified as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is the function devm_kzalloc of the component bcm. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a null pointer dereference vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-476. A NULL pointer dereference occurs when the application dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid, but is NULL, typically causing a crash or exit. As an impact it is known to affect availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: soc: bcm: Check for NULL return of devm_kzalloc() As the potential failure of allocation, devm_kzalloc() may return NULL. Then the 'pd->pmb' and the follow lines of code may bring null pointer dereference. Therefore, it is better to check the return value of devm_kzalloc() to avoid this confusion.

The advisory is shared at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2022-49448 since 02/26/2025. Technical details are known, but no exploit is available.

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 225801 (Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2022-49448), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

Upgrading to version 5.15.46, 5.17.14 or 5.18.3 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 5650e103bfc70156001615861fb8aafb3947da6e/36339ea7bae4943be01c8e9545e46e334591fecd/b48b98743b568bb219152ba2e15af6ef0d3d8a9b/b4bd2aafacce48db26b0a213d849818d940556dd is able to eliminate this problem. The bugfix is ready for download at git.kernel.org. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

The vulnerability is also documented in the vulnerability database at Tenable (225801). Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.

Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Linux

Name

• Kernel

Version

• 5.15.0
• 5.15.1
• 5.15.2
• 5.15.3
• 5.15.4
• 5.15.5
• 5.15.6
• 5.15.7
• 5.15.8
• 5.15.9
• 5.15.10
• 5.15.11
• 5.15.12
• 5.15.13
• 5.15.14
• 5.15.15
• 5.15.16
• 5.15.17
• 5.15.18
• 5.15.19
• 5.15.20
• 5.15.21
• 5.15.22
• 5.15.23
• 5.15.24
• 5.15.25
• 5.15.26
• 5.15.27
• 5.15.28
• 5.15.29
• 5.15.30
• 5.15.31
• 5.15.32
• 5.15.33
• 5.15.34
• 5.15.35
• 5.15.36
• 5.15.37
• 5.15.38
• 5.15.39
• 5.15.40
• 5.15.41
• 5.15.42
• 5.15.43
• 5.15.44
• 5.15.45
• 5.17.0
• 5.17.1
• 5.17.2
• 5.17.3
• 5.17.4
• 5.17.5
• 5.17.6
• 5.17.7
• 5.17.8
• 5.17.9
• 5.17.10
• 5.17.11
• 5.17.12
• 5.17.13
• 5.18.0
• 5.18.1
• 5.18.2

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

CPE 2.3info

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CPE 2.2info

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CVSSv4info

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Exploitinginfo

Threat Intelligenceinfo

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Sourcesinfo

Entryinfo

Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.

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