CVE-2022-49264
published 2025-02-26CVE-2022-49264: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: exec: Force single empty string when argv is empty Quoting[1] Ariadne Conill: "In several…
PriorityP420medium5.5CVSS 3.1
AVLACLPRLUINSUCNINAH
EPSS
0.30%
22.8th percentile
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
exec: Force single empty string when argv is empty
Quoting[1] Ariadne Conill:
"In several other operating systems, it is a hard requirement that the
second argument to execve(2) be the name of a program, thus prohibiting
a scenario where argc < 1. POSIX 2017 also recommends this behaviour,
but it is not an explicit requirement[2]:
The argument arg0 should point to a filename string that is
associated with the process being started by one of the exec
functions.
...
Interestingly, Michael Kerrisk opened an issue about this in 2008[3],
but there was no consensus to support fixing this issue then.
Hopefully now that CVE-2021-4034 shows practical exploitative use[4]
of this bug in a shellcode, we can reconsider.
This issue is being tracked in the KSPP issue tracker[5]."
While the initial code searches[6][7] turned up what appeared to be
mostly corner case tests, trying to that just reject argv == NULL
(or an immediately terminated pointer list) quickly started tripping[8]
existing userspace programs.
The next best approach is forcing a single empty string into argv and
adjusting argc to match. The number of programs depending on argc == 0
seems a smaller set than those calling execve with a NULL argv.
Account for the additional stack space in bprm_stack_limits(). Inject an
empty string when argc == 0 (and set argc = 1). Warn about the case so
userspace has some notice about the change:
process './argc0' launched './argc0' with NULL argv: empty string added
Additionally WARN() and reject NULL argv usage for kernel threads.
[1] https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/[email protected]/
[2] https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/functions/exec.html
[3] https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=8408
[4] https://www.qualys.com/2022/01/25/cve-2021-4034/pwnkit.txt
[5] https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/176
[6] https://codesearch.debian.net/search?q=execve%5C+*%5C%28%5
Affected
13 ranges
| Vendor | Product | Version range | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| debian | linux | < linux 5.17.3-1 (bookworm) | linux 5.17.3-1 (bookworm) |
| linux | linux_kernel | < 4.9.317 | 4.9.317 |
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 0 < 5.10.113-1 | 5.10.113-1 |
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 0 < 5.17.3-1 | 5.17.3-1 |
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 0 < 5.17.3-1 | 5.17.3-1 |
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 0 < 5.17.3-1 | 5.17.3-1 |
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 4.10 < 4.14.282 | 4.14.282 |
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 4.15 < 4.19.246 | 4.19.246 |
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 4.20 < 5.4.197 | 5.4.197 |
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 5.11 < 5.15.33 | 5.15.33 |
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 5.16 < 5.16.19 | 5.16.19 |
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 5.17 < 5.17.2 | 5.17.2 |
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 5.5 < 5.10.110 | 5.10.110 |
CVSS provenance
nvdv3.15.5MEDIUMCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
osv7.8HIGH
vendor_debian7.8HIGH
vendor_redhat7.8HIGH
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Red Hat
kernel: exec: Force single empty string when argv is empty
vendor_redhat·2025-02-26·CVSS 7.8
CVE-2022-49264 [HIGH] kernel: exec: Force single empty string when argv is empty
kernel: exec: Force single empty string when argv is empty
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
exec: Force single empty string when argv is empty
Quoting[1] Ariadne Conill:
"In several other operating systems, it is a hard requirement that the
second argument to execve(2) be the name of a program, thus prohibiting
a scenario where argc < 1. POSIX 2017 also recommends this behaviour,
but it is not an explicit requirement[2]:
The argument arg0 should point to a filename string that is
associated with the process being started by one of the exec
functions.
...
Interestingly, Michael Kerrisk opened an issue about this in 2008[3],
but there was no consensus to support fixing this issue then.
Hopefully now that CVE-2021-4034 shows practical exploitative use[4]
of
Debian
CVE-2022-49264: linux - In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: exec: Force...
vendor_debian·2022·CVSS 7.8
CVE-2022-49264 [HIGH] CVE-2022-49264: linux - In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: exec: Force...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: exec: Force single empty string when argv is empty Quoting[1] Ariadne Conill: "In several other operating systems, it is a hard requirement that the second argument to execve(2) be the name of a program, thus prohibiting a scenario where argc < 1. POSIX 2017 also recommends this behaviour, but it is not an explicit requirement[2]: The argument arg0 should point to a filename string that is associated with the process being started by one of the exec functions. ... Interestingly, Michael Kerrisk opened an issue about this in 2008[3], but there was no consensus to support fixing this issue then. Hopefully now that CVE-2021-4034 shows practical exploitative use[4] of this bug in a shellcode, we can reconsider. This issue is b
GHSA
GHSA-w8vv-x828-gjpf: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
exec: Force single empty string when argv is empty
Quoting[1] Ariadne Conill:
"
ghsa_unreviewed·2025-10-21·CVSS 7.8
CVE-2022-49264 [HIGH] CWE-476 GHSA-w8vv-x828-gjpf: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
exec: Force single empty string when argv is empty
Quoting[1] Ariadne Conill:
"
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
exec: Force single empty string when argv is empty
Quoting[1] Ariadne Conill:
"In several other operating systems, it is a hard requirement that the
second argument to execve(2) be the name of a program, thus prohibiting
a scenario where argc < 1. POSIX 2017 also recommends this behaviour,
but it is not an explicit requirement[2]:
The argument arg0 should point to a filename string that is
associated with the process being started by one of the exec
functions.
...
Interestingly, Michael Kerrisk opened an issue about this in 2008[3],
but there was no consensus to support fixing this issue then.
Hopefully now that CVE-2021-4034 shows practical exploitative use[4]
of this bug in a shellcode, we can reconsider.
This issue
OSV
CVE-2022-49264: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: exec: Force single empty string when argv is empty Quoting[1] Ariadne Conill: "In
osv·2025-02-26·CVSS 7.8
CVE-2022-49264 [HIGH] CVE-2022-49264: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: exec: Force single empty string when argv is empty Quoting[1] Ariadne Conill: "In
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: exec: Force single empty string when argv is empty Quoting[1] Ariadne Conill: "In several other operating systems, it is a hard requirement that the second argument to execve(2) be the name of a program, thus prohibiting a scenario where argc < 1. POSIX 2017 also recommends this behaviour, but it is not an explicit requirement[2]: The argument arg0 should point to a filename string that is associated with the process being started by one of the exec functions. ... Interestingly, Michael Kerrisk opened an issue about this in 2008[3], but there was no consensus to support fixing this issue then. Hopefully now that CVE-2021-4034 shows practical exploitative use[4] of this bug in a shellcode, we can reconsider. This issue is b
No detection rules found.
No public exploits indexed.
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1290eb4412aa0f0e9f3434b406dc8e255da85f9ehttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1fe82bfd9e4ce93399d815ca458b58505191c3e8https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/27a6f495b63a1804cc71be45911065db7757a98chttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/41f6ea5b9aaa28b740d47ffe995a5013211fdbb0https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/98e0c7c702894987732776736c99b85ade6fba45https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a8054d3fa5deb84b215d6be1b910a978f3cb840dhttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b50fb8dbc8b81aaa126387de428f4c42a7c72a73https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cfbfff8ce5e3d674947581f1eb9af0a1b1807950https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dcd46d897adb70d63e025f175a00a89797d31a43
2025-02-26
Published