CVE-2022-49286: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tpm: use try_get_ops() in tpm-space.c As part of the series conversion to remove...

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tpm: use try_get_ops() in tpm-space.c As part of the series conversion to remove nested TPM operations: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20190205224723.19671-1-jarkko.sakkinen@linux.intel.com/ exposure of the chip->tpm_mutex was removed from much of the upper level code. In this conversion, tpm2_del_space() was missed. This didn't matter much because it's usually called closely after a converted operation, so there's only a very tiny race window where the chip can be removed before the space flushing is done which causes a NULL deref on the mutex. However, there are reports of this window being hit in practice, so fix this by converting tpm2_del_space() to use tpm_try_get_ops(), which performs all the teardown checks before acquring the mutex.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

4.7/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS Probability

0.22%

12.3th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-476

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 4.12, < 5.4.188
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.5, < 5.10.109
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.11, < 5.15.32
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.16, < 5.16.18
Linux	Linux Kernel	5.17

References

Timeline

Published: Feb 26, 2025
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-49286?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tpm: use try_get_ops() in tpm-space.c As part of the series conversion to remove nested TPM operations: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20190205224723.19671-1-jarkko.sakkinen@linux.intel.com/ exposure of the chip->tpm_mutex was removed from much of the upper level code. In this conversion, tpm2_del_space() was missed. This didn't matter much because it's usually called closely after a converted operation, so there's only a very tiny race window where the chip can be removed before the space flushing is done which causes a NULL deref on the mutex. However, there are reports of this window being hit in practice, so fix this by converting tpm2_del_space() to use tpm_try_get_ops(), which performs all the teardown checks before acquring the mutex.

How severe is CVE-2022-49286?

CVE-2022-49286 has a CVSS score of 4.7/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.22% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2022-49286?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.