5.5

CVE-2022-50073: net: tap: NULL pointer derefence in dev_parse_header_protocol when skb->dev is null

Modified
AliasesUBUNTU-CVE-2022-50073DEBIAN-CVE-2022-50073
Published 18-06-2025Last modified 12-08-2026

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2022-50073 is a medium (CVSS 5.5) NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability in linux. EPSS estimates a 0.21% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 10.6% of scored vulnerabilities.

Priority
Routine

Not severe (CVSS 5.5, local access); no exploitation reported by the 5 checked sources

Source freshness unavailable

How is this decided?
CVSS score
5.5/10
010
Medium · v3.1 (NVD)
EPSS score
0.21%
0%100%
Low · +0.01 pp in 30 days
KEVNot listedNot listed by any tracked catalog.
RansomwareNot flaggedNo ransomware use recorded.
Public exploits0No public exploits recorded

Advisory lineage

Upstream 0 · Downstream 20 · Related 18
RHSA-2021:4356RHSA-2024:9315SUSE-SU-2025:02264-1SUSE-SU-2025:02321-1SUSE-SU-2025:02322-1SUSE-SU-2025:02334-1

Timeline

  1. 18-06-2025
    PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
  2. 12-08-2026
    Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: tap: NULL pointer derefence in dev_parse_header_protocol when skb->dev is null Fixes a NULL pointer derefence bug triggered from tap driver. When tap_get_user calls virtio_net_hdr_to_skb the skb->dev is null (in tap.c skb->dev is set after the call to virtio_net_hdr_to_skb) virtio_net_hdr_to_skb calls dev_parse_header_protocol which needs skb->dev field to be valid. The line that trigers the bug is in dev_parse_header_protocol (dev is at offset 0x10 from skb and is stored in RAX register) if (!dev->header_ops || !dev->header_ops->parse_protocol) 22e1: mov 0x10(%rbx),%rax 22e5: mov 0x230(%rax),%rax Setting skb->dev before the call in tap.c fixes the issue. BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000230 RIP: 0010:virtio_net_hdr_to_skb.constprop.0+0x335/0x410 [tap] Code: c0 0f 85 b7 fd ff ff eb d4 41 39 c6 77 cf 29 c6 48 89 df 44 01 f6 e8 7a 79 83 c1 48 85 c0 0f 85 d9 fd ff ff eb b7 48 8b 43 10 <48> 8b 80 30 02 00 00 48 85 c0 74 55 48 8b 40 28 48 85 c0 74 4c 48 RSP: 0018:ffffc90005c27c38 EFLAGS: 00010246 RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffff888298f25300 RCX: 0000000000000010 RDX: 0000000000000005 RSI: ffffc90005c27cb6 RDI: ffff888298f25300 RBP: ffffc90005c27c80 R08: 00000000ffffffea R09: 00000000000007e8 R10: ffff88858ec77458 R11: 0000000000000000 R12: 0000000000000001 R13: 0000000000000014 R14: ffffc90005c27e08 R15: ffffc90005c27cb6 FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff88858ec40000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 0000000000000230 CR3: 0000000281408006 CR4: 00000000003706e0 Call Trace: tap_get_user+0x3f1/0x540 [tap] tap_sendmsg+0x56/0x362 [tap] ? get_tx_bufs+0xc2/0x1e0 [vhost_net] handle_tx_copy+0x114/0x670 [vhost_net] handle_tx+0xb0/0xe0 [vhost_net] handle_tx_kick+0x15/0x20 [vhost_net] vhost_worker+0x7b/0xc0 [vhost] ? vhost_vring_call_reset+0x40/0x40 [vhost] kthread+0xfa/0x120 ? kthread_complete_and_exit+0x20/0x20 ret_from_fork+0x1f/0x30

CVSS metrics

4 scores · 3 sources · 2 versions

EPSS trend

Probability

0.21%

Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days

Percentile

11%

Versus all other CVEs

30-day change

Increase +0.01 pp

From 0.20% on 04-10-2026

04-10-202603-11-2026

Known exploited

Compare KEV catalogs
CISA KEV

Not in the CISA KEV catalog.

ENISA CNW

Not in the ENISA CNW catalog.

CIRCL

Not in the CIRCL catalog.

Public exploits

0 found

No public exploits indexed.

Weaknesses

CWE · root cause

Affected systems

Version check

Known conditions: local access, low-privilege account, no user interaction (CVSS vector). Other conditions: not stated in public data.

Ubuntu116 products
  • linuxAll versions (No fix recorded) | < 5.15.0-186.196
  • linux-allwinner-5.19All versions (No fix recorded)
  • linux-awsAll versions (No fix recorded) | < 5.15.0-1112.119
  • linux-aws-5.0All versions (No fix recorded)
  • linux-aws-5.11All versions (No fix recorded)
Linux2 products
  • linux≥ faa3baa2828c5e1c4374f3e60041f75c64f5fcb6, < 8f90163f9e013c8fc791aab338aab44a46044cfc | ≥ 924a9bc362a5223cd448ca08c3dde21235adc310, < 447ba770cfe798925f4923548b367fd49f0ee5f0 | ≥ 924a9bc362a5223cd448ca08c3dde21235adc310, < dd29648fcf69339713f2d25f7014ae905dcdfc18 | ≥ 924a9bc362a5223cd448ca08c3dde21235adc310, < 4f61f133f354853bc394ec7d6028adb9b02dd701 | ea3fb2ce5fa794d02135f5c079e05cd6fc3f545d | 54ef8243c3c8e90f1ea5792e6752e021a25c8eb3 | ca278267d6cd9544645731732455b6b20cb0e895 | 99b1d3f74b9ef72c2f74c8e4c078e1bc0706e748 | ≥ 5.10.24, < 5.10.258 | ≥ 4.14.226, < 4.15 | ≥ 4.19.181, < 4.20 | ≥ 5.4.106, < 5.5 | ≥ 5.11.7, < 5.12 | 5.12
  • linux_kernelEOL≥ 4.14.226, < 4.15 | ≥ 4.19.181, < 4.20 | ≥ 5.4.106, < 5.5 | ≥ 5.10.24, < 5.11 | ≥ 5.11.7, < 5.12 | ≥ 5.12.1, < 5.19.4 | 5.12 | 5.12:rc3 | 5.12:rc4 | 5.12:rc5 | 5.12:rc6 | 5.12:rc7 | 5.12:rc8
Debian1 product
  • linux< 5.19.6-1

3 vendors · 119 products

References

21 links
Show all 21 references