# CVE-2022-50117: vfio: Split migration ops from main device ops

> A missing check in the Linux kernel VFIO driver allows userspace to trigger a null pointer dereference, causing a system crash.

- **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:** 18 Jun 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2022-50117, GHSA-g26v-cwrx-qvcw, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50117

## What is CVE-2022-50117?

CVE-2022-50117 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 18 Jun 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:

vfio: Split migration ops from main device ops

vfio core checks whether the driver sets some migration op (e.g.
set_state/get_state) and accordingly calls its op.

However, currently mlx5 driver sets the above ops without regards to its
migration caps.

This might lead to unexpected usage/Oops if user space may call to the
above ops even if the driver doesn't support migration. As for example,
the migration state_mutex is not initialized in that case.

The cleanest way to manage that seems to split the migration ops from
the main device ops, this will let the driver setting them separately
from the main ops when it's applicable.

As part of that, validate ops construction on registration and include a
check for VFIO_MIGRATION_STOP_COPY since the uAPI claims it must be set
in migration_flags.

HISI driver was changed as well to match this scheme.

This scheme may enable down the road to come with some extra group of
ops (e.g. DMA log) that can be set without regards to the other options
based on driver caps.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-50117?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-50117?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-50117 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-50117 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-2022-50117 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-50117 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 18 Jun 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-2022-50117 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-2022-50117/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-50117/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-50117
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-50117
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-50117

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-50117/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.