CVE-2022-49798 is a vulnerability identified in the Linux kernel's tracing subsystem, specifically related to eprobes (event probes). The issue arises from a race condition during the enabling of eprobes. The kernel sets a flag indicating that triggers should be called after reading the event, but this flag is set only after the eprobe is enabled. Consequently, there is a window where the eprobe can be triggered at the very start of the event processing when the record information is still NULL. If the eprobe handler dereferences this NULL record pointer, it results in a NULL pointer dereference within the kernel, causing a kernel NULL pointer bug. This can lead to a kernel crash (kernel panic) or system instability. The fix involves adding a check to test for a NULL record before dereferencing it, preventing the kernel from crashing due to this race condition. This vulnerability affects Linux kernel versions identified by the commit hash 7491e2c442781a1860181adb5ab472a52075f393, and it was publicly disclosed on May 1, 2025. No known exploits in the wild have been reported to date, and no CVSS score has been assigned yet.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to systems running vulnerable Linux kernel versions, which are widely used in servers, cloud infrastructure, and embedded devices. Exploitation could lead to denial of service through kernel crashes, impacting availability of critical services and infrastructure. While this vulnerability does not appear to allow privilege escalation or remote code execution directly, the resulting system instability could disrupt business operations, especially in environments relying on high availability such as financial institutions, telecommunications, and critical infrastructure providers. Additionally, the Linux kernel is foundational to many enterprise and cloud environments in Europe, so the scope of affected systems is broad. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the race condition nature means that exploitation could be triggered by local users or processes, potentially including attackers who have limited access to the system. This could be particularly impactful in multi-tenant cloud environments or shared hosting services common in European data centers.

European organizations should prioritize updating their Linux kernel to the patched versions that include the fix for CVE-2022-49798. Since this is a kernel-level issue, applying vendor-supplied kernel updates or recompiling the kernel with the fix is essential. Organizations should audit their Linux systems to identify vulnerable kernel versions, especially on critical infrastructure and multi-tenant environments. For environments where immediate patching is not feasible, implementing strict access controls to limit local user capabilities can reduce the risk of exploitation. Monitoring system logs for kernel crashes or unusual behavior related to tracing or eprobes can help detect attempts to trigger this vulnerability. Additionally, organizations should review and harden their kernel tracing configurations to minimize unnecessary exposure to eprobes or tracing features that could be exploited. Finally, maintaining a robust incident response plan to quickly address potential denial-of-service incidents caused by kernel crashes is recommended.