CVE-2022-50073
5.5 · MEDIUMOverview
CVE-2022-50073 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on June 18, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
Technical 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
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from linux. Update linux_kernel to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 4.14.226, < 4.15 | Affected |
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2022-50073?
CVE-2022-50073 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on June 18, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2022-50073?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2022-50073?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from linux. Update linux_kernel to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2022-50073?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2022-50073 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
How CyberStrike Helps
AI agents map your attack surface to find vulnerabilities like this one.
Automated penetration testing that runs continuously, not just quarterly.
AI-driven PR review catches vulnerable dependencies before they ship.
Browser-based exploitation validates findings with real proof-of-concept.
Related MEDIUM CVEs from 2022
View all →OroPlatform is a PHP Business Application Platform. In affected versions the email template preview
Dell EMC AppSync versions 3.9 to 4.3 contain a clickjacking vulnerability in AppSync. A remote unaut
Select Dell Client Commercial and Consumer platforms contain a pre-boot direct memory access (DMA) v
A cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability has been reported to affect QNAP device running Proxy Ser
In JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA before 2022.1 local code execution via custom Pandoc path was possible
In JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA before 2022.1 local code execution via HTML descriptions in custom JSON s
In JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA before 2022.1 local code execution via workspace settings was possible
In JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA before 2022.1 local code execution via links in Quick Documentation was p
In JetBrains Rider before 2022.1 local code execution via links in ReSharper Quick Documentation was
All versions of package com.alibaba.oneagent:one-java-agent-plugin are vulnerable to Arbitrary File
Improper Restriction of Rendered UI Layers or Frames in GitHub repository polonel/trudesk prior to 1
Dm-verity is used for extending root-of-trust to root filesystems. LoadPin builds on this property t