# CVE-2022-49505: NFC: NULL out the dev->rfkill to prevent UAF

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel NFC subsystem allows attackers to cause a denial of service or potentially execute code via crafted netlink messages.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2022-49505, GHSA-m645-2c8g-gg4p, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-49505

## What is CVE-2022-49505?

CVE-2022-49505 is a high-severity use after free 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:

NFC: NULL out the dev->rfkill to prevent UAF

Commit 3e3b5dfcd16a ("NFC: reorder the logic in nfc_{un,}register_device")
assumes the device_is_registered() in function nfc_dev_up() will help
to check when the rfkill is unregistered. However, this check only
take effect when device_del(&dev->dev) is done in nfc_unregister_device().
Hence, the rfkill object is still possible be dereferenced.

The crash trace in latest kernel (5.18-rc2):

[   68.760105] ==================================================================
[   68.760330] BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in __lock_acquire+0x3ec1/0x6750
[   68.760756] Read of size 8 at addr ffff888009c93018 by task fuzz/313
[   68.760756]
[   68.760756] CPU: 0 PID: 313 Comm: fuzz Not tainted 5.18.0-rc2 #4
[   68.760756] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.14.0-0-g155821a1990b-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014
[   68.760756] Call Trace:
[   68.760756]  <TASK>
[   68.760756]  dump_stack_lvl+0x57/0x7d
[   68.760756]  print_report.cold+0x5e/0x5db
[   68.760756]  ? __lock_acquire+0x3ec1/0x6750
[   68.760756]  kasan_report+0xbe/0x1c0
[   68.760756]  ? __lock_acquire+0x3ec1/0x6750
[   68.760756]  __lock_acquire+0x3ec1/0x6750
[   68.760756]  ? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0x410/0x410
[   68.760756]  ? register_lock_class+0x18d0/0x18d0
[   68.760756]  lock_acquire+0x1ac/0x4f0
[   68.760756]  ? rfkill_blocked+0xe/0x60
[   68.760756]  ? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0x410/0x410
[   68.760756]  ? mutex_lock_io_nested+0x12c0/0x12c0
[   68.760756]  ? nla_get_range_signed+0x540/0x540
[   68.760756]  ? _raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0x4e/0x50
[   68.760756]  _raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0x39/0x50
[   68.760756]  ? rfkill_blocked+0xe/0x60
[   68.760756]  rfkill_blocked+0xe/0x60
[   68.760756]  nfc_dev_up+0x84/0x260
[   68.760756]  nfc_genl_dev_up+0x90/0xe0
[   68.760756]  genl_family_rcv_msg_doit+0x1f4/0x2f0
[   68.760756]  ? genl_family_rcv_msg_attrs_parse.constprop.0+0x230/0x230
[   68.760756]  ? security_capable+0x51/0x90
[   68.760756]  genl_rcv_msg+0x280/0x500
[   68.760756]  ? genl_get_cmd+0x3c0/0x3c0
[   68.760756]  ? lock_acquire+0x1ac/0x4f0
[   68.760756]  ? nfc_genl_dev_down+0xe0/0xe0
[   68.760756]  ? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0x410/0x410
[   68.760756]  netlink_rcv_skb+0x11b/0x340
[   68.760756]  ? genl_get_cmd+0x3c0/0x3c0
[   68.760756]  ? netlink_ack+0x9c0/0x9c0
[   68.760756]  ? netlink_deliver_tap+0x136/0xb00
[   68.760756]  genl_rcv+0x1f/0x30
[   68.760756]  netlink_unicast+0x430/0x710
[   68.760756]  ? memset+0x20/0x40
[   68.760756]  ? netlink_attachskb+0x740/0x740
[   68.760756]  ? __build_skb_around+0x1f4/0x2a0
[   68.760756]  netlink_sendmsg+0x75d/0xc00
[   68.760756]  ? netlink_unicast+0x710/0x710
[   68.760756]  ? netlink_unicast+0x710/0x710
[   68.760756]  sock_sendmsg+0xdf/0x110
[   68.760756]  __sys_sendto+0x19e/0x270
[   68.760756]  ? __ia32_sys_getpeername+0xa0/0xa0
[   68.760756]  ? fd_install+0x178/0x4c0
[   68.760756]  ? fd_install+0x195/0x4c0
[   68.760756]  ? kernel_fpu_begin_mask+0x1c0/0x1c0
[   68.760756]  __x64_sys_sendto+0xd8/0x1b0
[   68.760756]  ? lockdep_hardirqs_on+0xbf/0x130
[   68.760756]  ? syscall_enter_from_user_mode+0x1d/0x50
[   68.760756]  do_syscall_64+0x3b/0x90
[   68.760756]  entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae
[   68.760756] RIP: 0033:0x7f67fb50e6b3
...
[   68.760756] RSP: 002b:00007f67fa91fe90 EFLAGS: 00000293 ORIG_RAX: 000000000000002c
[   68.760756] RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: 00007f67fb50e6b3
[   68.760756] RDX: 000000000000001c RSI: 0000559354603090 RDI: 0000000000000003
[   68.760756] RBP: 00007f67fa91ff00 R08: 00007f67fa91fedc R09: 000000000000000c
[   68.760756] R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000293 R12: 00007ffe824d496e
[   68.760756] R13: 00007ffe824d496f R14: 00007f67fa120000 R15: 0000000000000003

[   68.760756]  </TASK>
[   68.760756]
[   68.760756] Allocated by task 279:
[   68.760756]  kasan_save_stack+0x1e/0x40
[
---truncated---

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-49505?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-49505?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-49505 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-49505 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-2022-49505 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-49505 is a high-severity use after free 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-2022-49505 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-2022-49505/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-49505/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-49505
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-49505
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-49505

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-49505/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.
