{"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"}}}}