CVE-2022-49445 – This CVE describes a null pointer dereference v... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2022-49445?

CVE-2022-49445 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This CVE describes a null pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Renesas pinctrl driver. If exploited, it could cause a kernel panic or system crash on devices using affected Renesas hardware. The vulnerability affects Linux systems with specific Renesas hardware support enabled.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a null pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Renesas pinctrl driver. If exploited, it could cause a kernel panic or system crash on devices using affected Renesas hardware. The vulnerability affects Linux systems with specific Renesas hardware support enabled.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with Renesas pinctrl driver

Versions: Linux kernel versions before the fix commits (specific versions vary by distribution)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ✅ No

Notes: Only vulnerable if Renesas hardware support is enabled and the specific pinctrl driver is loaded. Most general-purpose systems are not affected.

📦 What is this software?

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Kernel panic leading to system crash and denial of service, potentially requiring physical reboot of affected devices.

🟠

Likely Case

System instability or crash when specific Renesas hardware operations are performed, resulting in denial of service.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if the vulnerable driver is not loaded or the affected hardware is not present.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access or ability to trigger specific hardware operations.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Could be exploited by local users or processes to cause system instability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires triggering the specific driver function with malformed input, typically requiring local access or ability to perform hardware operations.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Fixed in kernel commits: 5376e3d904532e657fd7ca1a9b1ff3d351527b90, 5ed0519d425619b435150372cce2ffeec71581fa, e3a1ad8fd0ac11f4fa1260c23b5db71a25473254, f991879762392c19661af5b722578089a12b305f, fb4f022b3ad1f3ff3cafdbc7d51896090ae17701

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Check with your distribution for specific patched kernel versions. 3. Reboot system after kernel update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable Renesas pinctrl driver

linux

Prevent loading of the vulnerable driver module if Renesas hardware is not needed

echo 'blacklist pinctrl_renesas' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod pinctrl_renesas

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Ensure only trusted users have local access to affected systems
Monitor system logs for kernel panic or crash events related to pinctrl operations

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if Renesas pinctrl driver is loaded: lsmod | grep pinctrl_renesas && check kernel version against patched versions

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version includes fix commits and Renesas driver functions properly without crashes

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages
NULL pointer dereference errors in kernel logs
System crash/reboot events

Network Indicators:

None - local vulnerability only

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("NULL pointer dereference" OR "kernel panic" OR "pinctrl_renesas")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2022-49445

CVSS v3 Score: 5.5 (MEDIUM)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CWE: CWE-476

EPSS Score: 0.04% exploit probability (10th percentile)

Published: February 26, 2025

Last Updated: October 1, 2025

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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