CVE-2022-50527
📋 TL;DR
This CVE-2022-50527 is a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the AMD GPU driver within the Linux kernel. It allows local attackers to cause a kernel panic (system crash) by triggering improper memory domain validation. This affects Linux systems with AMD graphics hardware using the amdgpu driver.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with AMD GPU driver (amdgpu)
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Local denial of service through kernel panic leading to system crash and potential data loss.
Likely Case
System instability or crash requiring reboot, affecting availability of services running on the affected system.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper access controls preventing local user exploitation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access and ability to trigger specific GPU memory operations. No public exploit code identified.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Fixed in kernel commits: 7554886daa31eacc8e7fac9e15bbce67d10b8f1f, 80546eef216854a7bd47e39e828f04b406c00599, 8ba7c55e112f4ffd2a95b99be1cb1c891ef08ba1
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7554886daa31eacc8e7fac9e15bbce67d10b8f1f
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. For distributions: Use package manager (apt/yum/dnf) to update kernel package. 3. Reboot system to load new kernel.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict local user access
linuxLimit local user accounts to prevent potential exploitation by untrusted users.
# Review and restrict user permissions
# Use sudo policies to limit access
Disable amdgpu module
linuxIf AMD GPU not required, blacklist amdgpu kernel module (will disable AMD GPU functionality).
echo 'blacklist amdgpu' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-amdgpu.conf
update-initramfs -u
reboot
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls to limit local user privileges
- Monitor system logs for kernel panic events and investigate root causes
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and if amdgpu module is loaded: uname -r && lsmod | grep amdgpuCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version is updated beyond fix commits and system remains stable during GPU operations.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic messages in /var/log/kern.log or dmesg
- System crash/reboot events
- GPU driver error messages
Network Indicators:
- None - local vulnerability only
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("panic" OR "Oops" OR "NULL pointer dereference")