# CVE-2022-49802: ftrace: Fix null pointer dereference in ftrace_add_mod()

> A null pointer dereference in the Linux kernel ftrace module can cause a kernel panic and system crash when memory allocation fails.

- **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:** 1 May 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2022-49802, GHSA-5fcv-vwgv-jrcx, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-49802

## What is CVE-2022-49802?

CVE-2022-49802 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 May 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:

ftrace: Fix null pointer dereference in ftrace_add_mod()

The @ftrace_mod is allocated by kzalloc(), so both the members {prev,next}
of @ftrace_mode->list are NULL, it's not a valid state to call list_del().
If kstrdup() for @ftrace_mod->{func|module} fails, it goes to @out_free
tag and calls free_ftrace_mod() to destroy @ftrace_mod, then list_del()
will write prev->next and next->prev, where null pointer dereference
happens.

BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000008
Oops: 0002 [#1] PREEMPT SMP NOPTI
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 ftrace_mod_callback+0x20d/0x220
 ? do_filp_open+0xd9/0x140
 ftrace_process_regex.isra.51+0xbf/0x130
 ftrace_regex_write.isra.52.part.53+0x6e/0x90
 vfs_write+0xee/0x3a0
 ? __audit_filter_op+0xb1/0x100
 ? auditd_test_task+0x38/0x50
 ksys_write+0xa5/0xe0
 do_syscall_64+0x3a/0x90
 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd
Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception

So call INIT_LIST_HEAD() to initialize the list member to fix this issue.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-49802?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-49802?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-49802 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-49802 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-2022-49802 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-49802 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 May 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-2022-49802 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-2022-49802/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-49802/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-49802
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-49802
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-49802

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-49802/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.