# CVE-2022-50459: scsi: iscsi: iscsi_tcp: Fix null-ptr-deref while calling getpeername()

> A race condition in the Linux kernel iSCSI TCP module causes a null pointer dereference, leading to a system crash when accessing sysfs parameters during socket release.

- **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:** 1 Oct 2025
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2022-50459, GHSA-f7xj-99j9-66q2, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50459

## What is CVE-2022-50459?

CVE-2022-50459 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 Oct 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:

scsi: iscsi: iscsi_tcp: Fix null-ptr-deref while calling getpeername()

Fix a NULL pointer crash that occurs when we are freeing the socket at the
same time we access it via sysfs.

The problem is that:

 1. iscsi_sw_tcp_conn_get_param() and iscsi_sw_tcp_host_get_param() take
    the frwd_lock and do sock_hold() then drop the frwd_lock. sock_hold()
    does a get on the "struct sock".

 2. iscsi_sw_tcp_release_conn() does sockfd_put() which does the last put
    on the "struct socket" and that does __sock_release() which sets the
    sock->ops to NULL.

 3. iscsi_sw_tcp_conn_get_param() and iscsi_sw_tcp_host_get_param() then
    call kernel_getpeername() which accesses the NULL sock->ops.

Above we do a get on the "struct sock", but we needed a get on the "struct
socket". Originally, we just held the frwd_lock the entire time but in
commit bcf3a2953d36 ("scsi: iscsi: iscsi_tcp: Avoid holding spinlock while
calling getpeername()") we switched to refcount based because the network
layer changed and started taking a mutex in that path, so we could no
longer hold the frwd_lock.

Instead of trying to maintain multiple refcounts, this just has us use a
mutex for accessing the socket in the interface code paths.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-50459?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-50459?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-50459 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-50459 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-2022-50459 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-50459 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 Oct 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-2022-50459 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-2022-50459/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-50459/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-50459
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-50459
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-50459

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-50459/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.