# CVE-2022-48870: tty: fix possible null-ptr-defer in spk_ttyio_release

> A null pointer dereference in the Linux kernel's speakup module allows local attackers to cause a system crash by removing the module after failed initialization.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 21 Aug 2024
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2022-48870, GHSA-5hgq-f2qx-82g9, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-48870

## What is CVE-2022-48870?

CVE-2022-48870 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 21 Aug 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

tty: fix possible null-ptr-defer in spk_ttyio_release

Run the following tests on the qemu platform:

syzkaller:~# modprobe speakup_audptr
 input: Speakup as /devices/virtual/input/input4
 initialized device: /dev/synth, node (MAJOR 10, MINOR 125)
 speakup 3.1.6: initialized
 synth name on entry is: (null)
 synth probe

spk_ttyio_initialise_ldisc failed because tty_kopen_exclusive returned
failed (errno -16), then remove the module, we will get a null-ptr-defer
problem, as follow:

syzkaller:~# modprobe -r speakup_audptr
 releasing synth audptr
 BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000080
 #PF: supervisor write access in kernel mode
 #PF: error_code(0x0002) - not-present page
 PGD 0 P4D 0
 Oops: 0002 [#1] PREEMPT SMP PTI
 CPU: 2 PID: 204 Comm: modprobe Not tainted 6.1.0-rc6-dirty #1
 RIP: 0010:mutex_lock+0x14/0x30
 Call Trace:
 <TASK>
  spk_ttyio_release+0x19/0x70 [speakup]
  synth_release.part.6+0xac/0xc0 [speakup]
  synth_remove+0x56/0x60 [speakup]
  __x64_sys_delete_module+0x156/0x250
  ? fpregs_assert_state_consistent+0x1d/0x50
  do_syscall_64+0x37/0x90
  entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd
 </TASK>
 Modules linked in: speakup_audptr(-) speakup
 Dumping ftrace buffer:

in_synth->dev was not initialized during modprobe, so we add check
for in_synth->dev to fix this bug.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-48870?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-48870?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-48870 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-48870 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-48870 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-48870 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 21 Aug 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-48870 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. 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-2022-48870/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-48870/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-48870
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-48870
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-48870

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-48870/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.