# CVE-2022-49146: virtio: use virtio_device_ready() in virtio_device_restore()

> A missing interrupt enablement in virtio device restore causes IRQ storms and system instability after VM resume, leading to denial of service.

- **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:** 26 Feb 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2022-49146, GHSA-xjrq-fpgw-9fhm, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-49146

## What is CVE-2022-49146?

CVE-2022-49146 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 26 Feb 2025. 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:

virtio: use virtio_device_ready() in virtio_device_restore()

After waking up a suspended VM, the kernel prints the following trace
for virtio drivers which do not directly call virtio_device_ready() in
the .restore:

    PM: suspend exit
    irq 22: nobody cared (try booting with the "irqpoll" option)
    Call Trace:
     <IRQ>
     dump_stack_lvl+0x38/0x49
     dump_stack+0x10/0x12
     __report_bad_irq+0x3a/0xaf
     note_interrupt.cold+0xb/0x60
     handle_irq_event+0x71/0x80
     handle_fasteoi_irq+0x95/0x1e0
     __common_interrupt+0x6b/0x110
     common_interrupt+0x63/0xe0
     asm_common_interrupt+0x1e/0x40
     ? __do_softirq+0x75/0x2f3
     irq_exit_rcu+0x93/0xe0
     sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0xac/0xd0
     </IRQ>
     <TASK>
     asm_sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x12/0x20
     arch_cpu_idle+0x12/0x20
     default_idle_call+0x39/0xf0
     do_idle+0x1b5/0x210
     cpu_startup_entry+0x20/0x30
     start_secondary+0xf3/0x100
     secondary_startup_64_no_verify+0xc3/0xcb
     </TASK>
    handlers:
    [<000000008f9bac49>] vp_interrupt
    [<000000008f9bac49>] vp_interrupt
    Disabling IRQ #22

This happens because we don't invoke .enable_cbs callback in
virtio_device_restore(). That callback is used by some transports
(e.g. virtio-pci) to enable interrupts.

Let's fix it, by calling virtio_device_ready() as we do in
virtio_dev_probe(). This function calls .enable_cts callback and sets
DRIVER_OK status bit.

This fix also avoids setting DRIVER_OK twice for those drivers that
call virtio_device_ready() in the .restore.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-49146?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-49146?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-49146 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-49146 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-2022-49146 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-49146 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 26 Feb 2025. 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-2022-49146 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-2022-49146/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-49146/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-49146
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-49146
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-49146

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-49146/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.