NULL pointer dereference in Linux

CVE-2022-49940

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tty: n_gsm: add sanity check for gsm->receive in gsm_receive_buf() A null pointer dereference can happen when attempting to access the "gsm->receive()" function in gsmld_receive_buf(). Currently, the code assumes that gsm->recieve is only called after MUX activation. Since the gsmld_receive_buf() function can be accessed without the need to initialize the MUX, the gsm->receive() function will not be set and a NULL pointer dereference will occur. Fix this by avoiding the call to "gsm->receive()" in case the function is not initialized by adding a sanity check. Call Trace: <TASK> gsmld_receive_buf+0x1c2/0x2f0 drivers/tty/n_gsm.c:2861 tiocsti drivers/tty/tty_io.c:2293 [inline] tty_ioctl+0xa75/0x15d0 drivers/tty/tty_io.c:2692 vfs_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:51 [inline] __do_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:870 [inline] __se_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:856 [inline] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x193/0x200 fs/ioctl.c:856 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:50 [inline] do_syscall_64+0x35/0xb0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:80 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd

EPSS: 0.002 (9.0th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 5.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

Affected products

  • Linux — versions 01aecd917114577c423f07cec0d186ad007d76fc, dfa9b6d34aac2154b5e926d7a7a061123bf137c6, 2dc1be365a70699f7dda92fd9e48b84546086070
  • Linux Linux_kernel — versions 6.0

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-49940?
CVE-2022-49940 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under NULL Pointer Dereference. CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2025-06-18.
How severe is CVE-2022-49940?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.