# CVE-2022-50266: kprobes: Fix check for probe enabled in kill_kprobe()

> A logic error in the Linux kernel's kprobes subsystem causes a NULL pointer dereference, leading to a 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:** 15 Sep 2025
- **Updated:** 23 May 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-71197, DEBIAN-CVE-2022-50266, GHSA-gcqm-mw5p-q5gh, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2022-50266, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2022-50266, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50266

## What is CVE-2022-50266?

CVE-2022-50266 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 15 Sep 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:

kprobes: Fix check for probe enabled in kill_kprobe()

In kill_kprobe(), the check whether disarm_kprobe_ftrace() needs to be
called always fails. This is because before that we set the
KPROBE_FLAG_GONE flag for kprobe so that "!kprobe_disabled(p)" is always
false.

The disarm_kprobe_ftrace() call introduced by commit:

  0cb2f1372baa ("kprobes: Fix NULL pointer dereference at kprobe_ftrace_handler")

to fix the NULL pointer reference problem. When the probe is enabled, if
we do not disarm it, this problem still exists.

Fix it by putting the probe enabled check before setting the
KPROBE_FLAG_GONE flag.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-50266?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-50266?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-50266 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-50266 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-2022-50266 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-50266 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 15 Sep 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-2022-50266 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-2022-50266/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-50266/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-50266
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-50266
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-50266

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-50266/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.