{ "dataType": "CVE_RECORD", "dataVersion": "5.2", "cveMetadata": { "cveId": "CVE-2022-49264", "assignerOrgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67", "state": "PUBLISHED", "assignerShortName": "Linux", "dateReserved": "2025-02-26T01:49:39.296Z", "datePublished": "2025-02-26T01:56:14.664Z", "dateUpdated": "2026-08-05T08:54:30.630Z" }, "containers": { "cna": { "providerMetadata": { "orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67", "shortName": "Linux", "dateUpdated": "2026-08-05T08:54:30.630Z" }, "descriptions": [ { "lang": "en", "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nexec: Force single empty string when argv is empty\n\nQuoting[1] Ariadne Conill:\n\n\"In several other operating systems, it is a hard requirement that the\nsecond argument to execve(2) be the name of a program, thus prohibiting\na scenario where argc < 1. POSIX 2017 also recommends this behaviour,\nbut it is not an explicit requirement[2]:\n\n The argument arg0 should point to a filename string that is\n associated with the process being started by one of the exec\n functions.\n...\nInterestingly, Michael Kerrisk opened an issue about this in 2008[3],\nbut there was no consensus to support fixing this issue then.\nHopefully now that CVE-2021-4034 shows practical exploitative use[4]\nof this bug in a shellcode, we can reconsider.\n\nThis issue is being tracked in the KSPP issue tracker[5].\"\n\nWhile the initial code searches[6][7] turned up what appeared to be\nmostly corner case tests, trying to that just reject argv == NULL\n(or an immediately terminated pointer list) quickly started tripping[8]\nexisting userspace programs.\n\nThe next best approach is forcing a single empty string into argv and\nadjusting argc to match. The number of programs depending on argc == 0\nseems a smaller set than those calling execve with a NULL argv.\n\nAccount for the additional stack space in bprm_stack_limits(). Inject an\nempty string when argc == 0 (and set argc = 1). Warn about the case so\nuserspace has some notice about the change:\n\n process './argc0' launched './argc0' with NULL argv: empty string added\n\nAdditionally WARN() and reject NULL argv usage for kernel threads.\n\n[1] https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20220127000724.15106-1-ariadne@dereferenced.org/\n[2] https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/functions/exec.html\n[3] https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=8408\n[4] https://www.qualys.com/2022/01/25/cve-2021-4034/pwnkit.txt\n[5] https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/176\n[6] https://codesearch.debian.net/search?q=execve%5C+*%5C%28%5B%5E%2C%5D%2B%2C+*NULL&literal=0\n[7] https://codesearch.debian.net/search?q=execlp%3F%5Cs*%5C%28%5B%5E%2C%5D%2B%2C%5Cs*NULL&literal=0\n[8] https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20220131144352.GE16385@xsang-OptiPlex-9020/" } ], "metrics": [ { "cvssV3_1": { "version": "3.1", "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "baseScore": 7.8, "baseSeverity": "HIGH" }, "scenarios": [ { "lang": "en", "value": "AV:L - The vulnerability is triggered via the local execve/execveat syscalls in do_execveat_common(); an attacker must already have local code execution to pass a NULL or empty argv. It is not reachable by receiving network packets or remote protocol handling.\nAC:L - The attacker fully controls the argv passed to execve and can reliably invoke setuid helpers with argc==0; PwnKit demonstrated instant, architecture-independent exploitation with no race or layout precondition outside attacker control.\nPR:L - Any unprivileged local user can call execve on a setuid binary such as pkexec; the syscall path imposes no capability checks, and setuid credential elevation occurs normally via bprm_fill_uid.\nUI:N - The attacker alone performs the empty-argv execve of the setuid target; no separate victim action such as mounting a filesystem or opening a file is required.\nS:U - Impact is local privilege escalation to root within the same host OS security authority, not a VM escape, IOMMU bypass, or other cross-boundary compromise.\nC:H - Empty argv makes argv[1] alias envp[0] so confused setuid programs can reintroduce sanitized variables and run attacker code as root, yielding full confidentiality compromise as demonstrated by CVE-2021-4034.\nI:H - The same argv/envp confusion enables out-of-bounds writes into the environment of a privileged process and arbitrary root code execution, fully compromising integrity at the privilege boundary.\nA:H - Successful exploitation yields unrestricted root on the host, which includes the ability to halt or crash the system; standard local privilege-escalation scoring therefore assigns Availability High." } ] } ], "affected": [ { "product": "Linux", "vendor": "Linux", "defaultStatus": "unaffected", "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git", "programFiles": [ "fs/exec.c" ], "versions": [ { "version": "1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2", "lessThan": "41f6ea5b9aaa28b740d47ffe995a5013211fdbb0", "status": "affected", "versionType": "git" }, { "version": "1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2", "lessThan": "98e0c7c702894987732776736c99b85ade6fba45", "status": "affected", "versionType": "git" }, { "version": "1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2", "lessThan": "b50fb8dbc8b81aaa126387de428f4c42a7c72a73", "status": "affected", "versionType": "git" }, { "version": "1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2", "lessThan": "1fe82bfd9e4ce93399d815ca458b58505191c3e8", "status": "affected", "versionType": "git" }, { "version": "1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2", "lessThan": "27a6f495b63a1804cc71be45911065db7757a98c", "status": "affected", "versionType": "git" }, { "version": "1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2", "lessThan": "1290eb4412aa0f0e9f3434b406dc8e255da85f9e", "status": "affected", "versionType": "git" }, { "version": "1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2", "lessThan": "a8054d3fa5deb84b215d6be1b910a978f3cb840d", "status": "affected", "versionType": "git" }, { "version": "1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2", "lessThan": "cfbfff8ce5e3d674947581f1eb9af0a1b1807950", "status": "affected", "versionType": "git" }, { "version": "1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2", "lessThan": "dcd46d897adb70d63e025f175a00a89797d31a43", "status": "affected", "versionType": "git" } ] }, { "product": "Linux", "vendor": "Linux", "defaultStatus": "affected", "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git", "programFiles": [ "fs/exec.c" ], "versions": [ { "version": "2.6.12", "status": "affected" }, { "version": "0", "lessThan": "2.6.12", "status": "unaffected", "versionType": "semver" }, { "version": "4.9.317", "lessThanOrEqual": "4.9.*", "status": "unaffected", "versionType": "semver" }, { "version": "4.14.282", "lessThanOrEqual": "4.14.*", "status": "unaffected", "versionType": "semver" }, { "version": "4.19.246", "lessThanOrEqual": "4.19.*", "status": "unaffected", "versionType": "semver" }, { "version": "5.4.197", "lessThanOrEqual": "5.4.*", "status": "unaffected", "versionType": "semver" }, { "version": "5.10.110", "lessThanOrEqual": "5.10.*", "status": "unaffected", "versionType": "semver" }, { "version": "5.15.33", "lessThanOrEqual": "5.15.*", "status": "unaffected", "versionType": "semver" }, { "version": "5.16.19", "lessThanOrEqual": "5.16.*", "status": "unaffected", "versionType": "semver" }, { "version": "5.17.2", "lessThanOrEqual": "5.17.*", "status": "unaffected", "versionType": "semver" }, { "version": "5.18", "lessThanOrEqual": "*", "status": "unaffected", "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix" } ] } ], "cpeApplicability": [ { "nodes": [ { "operator": "OR", "negate": false, "cpeMatch": [ { "vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "2.6.12", "versionEndExcluding": "4.9.317" }, { "vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "2.6.12", "versionEndExcluding": "4.14.282" }, { "vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "2.6.12", "versionEndExcluding": "4.19.246" }, { "vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "2.6.12", "versionEndExcluding": "5.4.197" }, { "vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "2.6.12", "versionEndExcluding": "5.10.110" }, { "vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "2.6.12", "versionEndExcluding": "5.15.33" }, { "vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "2.6.12", "versionEndExcluding": "5.16.19" }, { "vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "2.6.12", "versionEndExcluding": "5.17.2" }, { "vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionStartIncluding": "2.6.12", "versionEndExcluding": "5.18" } ] } ] } ], "references": [ { "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/41f6ea5b9aaa28b740d47ffe995a5013211fdbb0" }, { "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/98e0c7c702894987732776736c99b85ade6fba45" }, { "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b50fb8dbc8b81aaa126387de428f4c42a7c72a73" }, { "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1fe82bfd9e4ce93399d815ca458b58505191c3e8" }, { "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/27a6f495b63a1804cc71be45911065db7757a98c" }, { "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1290eb4412aa0f0e9f3434b406dc8e255da85f9e" }, { "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a8054d3fa5deb84b215d6be1b910a978f3cb840d" }, { "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cfbfff8ce5e3d674947581f1eb9af0a1b1807950" }, { "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dcd46d897adb70d63e025f175a00a89797d31a43" } ], "title": "exec: Force single empty string when argv is empty", "x_generator": { "engine": "bippy-1.2.0" } } } }