KVM: Don't null dereference ops->destroy
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-476.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: Don't null dereference ops->destroy A KVM device cleanup happens in either of two callbacks: 1) destroy() which is called when the VM is being destroyed; 2) release() which is called when a device fd is closed. Most KVM devices use 1) but Book3s's interrupt controller KVM devices (XICS, XIVE, XIVE-native) use 2) as they need to close and reopen during the machine execution. The error handling in kvm_ioctl_create_device() assumes destroy() is always defined which leads to NULL dereference as discovered by Syzkaller. This adds a checks for destroy!=NULL and adds a missing release(). This is not changing kvm_destroy_devices() as devices with defined release() should have been removed from the KVM devices list by then.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 3.10 and later | 5.4.210, 5.10.134, 5.15.58, 5.18.15, 5.19 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 3.10 and later Fixed in 5.4.210, 5.10.134, 5.15.58, 5.18.15, 5.19 Patch available CNA
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.4.210, 5.10.134, 5.15.58, 5.18.15, 5.19
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
Not affected: 5 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2022-49568
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-vpqc-5phg-hjvg
References
Patch 5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/170465715a60cbb7876e6b961b21bd3225469da8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3616776bc51cd3262bb1be60cc01c72e0a1959cf
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e91665fbbf3ccb268b268a7d71a6513538d813ac
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d4a5a79b780891c5cbdfdc6124d46fdf8d13dba1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e8bc2427018826e02add7b0ed0fc625a60390ae5
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2022-49568 · CVE Program
- CVE-2022-49568 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-vpqc-5phg-hjvg · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2022-49568 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences