# CVE-2022-36648: Null dereference in n/a

> A null pointer dereference in QEMU's rocker device model allows guest users to crash the host or potentially execute code, though validity is disputed.

- **Severity:** Critical 10.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 22 Aug 2023
- **Updated:** 3 Oct 2024
- **Also known as:** AZL-28069, AZL-35162, DEBIAN-CVE-2022-36648, GHSA-4xpq-qfh7-r9h2, OESA-2026-3046, OESA-2026-3101, OESA-2026-3102, OESA-2026-3103

## What is CVE-2022-36648?

CVE-2022-36648 is a critical vulnerability in Qemu Qemu, published on 22 Aug 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The hardware emulation in the of_dpa_cmd_add_l2_flood of rocker device model in QEMU, as used in 7.0.0 and earlier, allows remote attackers to crash the host qemu and potentially execute code on the host via execute a malformed program in the guest OS. Note: This has been disputed by multiple third parties as not a valid vulnerability due to the rocker device not falling within the virtualization use case.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-36648?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Qemu Qemu.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-36648?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-36648 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-36648 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Qemu Qemu

- [CVE-2015-8556](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-8556/): Race condition in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2009-3616](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-3616/): Use after free in n/a (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2019-12928](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-12928/): Command injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2019-12929](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-12929/): Command injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2018-20815](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-20815/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-36648 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-36648 is a critical vulnerability in Qemu Qemu, published on 22 Aug 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-36648 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Qemu Qemu. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-36648/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-36648/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-36648
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-36648
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-36648

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-36648/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.