CVE-2022-50370
📋 TL;DR
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's i2c-designware driver allows system crashes when unexpected device interrupts occur during system resume from S3 sleep state. This affects Linux systems with Intel Alder Lake-S chipsets on certain Gigabyte motherboards. The vulnerability can cause kernel panics and system instability.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel i2c-designware driver
📦 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
System crash/kernel panic leading to denial of service and potential data loss during system resume operations.
Likely Case
System instability or crashes when resuming from S3 sleep state on affected hardware configurations.
If Mitigated
No impact if patched or on unaffected hardware configurations.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires specific hardware/firmware conditions during system resume from S3 sleep state. Not a typical remote code execution vulnerability.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Linux kernel versions containing commits: 301c8f5c32c8fb79c67539bc23972dc3ef48024c, 7fa5304c4b5b425d4a0b3acf10139a7f6108a85f, a206f7fbe9589c60fafad12884628c909ecb042f, aa59ac81e859006d3a1df035a19b3f2089110f93
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/301c8f5c32c8fb79c67539bc23972dc3ef48024c
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. For distributions: Use package manager to update kernel package. 3. For custom kernels: Apply the relevant patches from kernel.org. 4. Reboot to load new kernel.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable S3 sleep state
allPrevent system from entering S3 sleep state where the vulnerability triggers
echo deep > /sys/power/mem_sleep
echo freeze > /sys/power/state
Update motherboard UEFI/BIOS
allSome motherboard firmware updates may prevent the problematic I2C communication during resume
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Avoid using S3 sleep/suspend on affected systems
- Use S2 idle or other power states instead of S3
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and if i2c-designware module is loaded: lsmod | grep i2c_designware && uname -rCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes fix commits: git log --oneline | grep -E '301c8f5c32c8|7fa5304c4b5b|a206f7fbe958|aa59ac81e859'📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic/OOPS messages mentioning i2c_designware or i2c_dw_xfer_msg
- NULL pointer dereference in kernel logs during system resume
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("i2c_designware" OR "i2c_dw_xfer_msg" OR "NULL pointer dereference")