CVEs / CVE-2022-0492
CVE-2022-0492: Linux Kernel Improper Authentication Vulnerability
- Known exploited in the CISA KEV catalog since 2 Jun 2026
- high 7.8 CVSS 3.1 (NVD)
- EPSS 5.52% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 92% of CVEs (30 Oct 2026)
- Last changed at its sources
Are you affected? Check your servers with Stackurity: it lists the software on each server and the vulnerabilities to fix first.
Check your servers with Stackurity Already using Stackurity? Search for CVE-2022-0492
Summary
Linux Kernel contains an improper authentication vulnerability which could allow for privilege escalation via the cgroups v1 release_agent feature.
Description
A vulnerability was found in the Linux kernel’s cgroup_release_agent_write in the kernel/cgroup/cgroup-v1.c function. This flaw, under certain circumstances, allows the use of the cgroups v1 release_agent feature to escalate privileges and bypass the namespace isolation unexpectedly.
Affected and fixed versions
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| n/a kernel | kernel 5.17 rc3 | — |
Exploitation
| In CISA KEV since | 2 Jun 2026 |
|---|---|
| Due date for US federal agencies | 5 Jun 2026 |
| Used in ransomware campaigns | Unknown |
| Required action | Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. |
Severity
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 highCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HScored by NVD |
|---|---|
| Weakness | CWE-287, CWE-862 |
References
- CVE-2022-0492 on NVD
- CVE-2022-0492 in the CISA KEV catalog
- https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=24f6008564183aa120d07c03d9289519c2fe02af (cited by CISA)
- https://www.kernel.org/ (cited by CISA)
- CVE-2022-0492 on OSV
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/166444/Kernel-Live-Patch-Security-Notice-LSN-0085-1.html Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/167386/Kernel-Live-Patch-Security-Notice-LSN-0086-1.html Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/176099/Docker-cgroups-Container-Escape.html Exploit, VDB Entry
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2051505 Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory
- https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=24f6008564183aa120d07c03d9289519c2fe02af Patch, Vendor Advisory
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/03/msg00011.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/03/msg00012.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220419-0002/ Third Party Advisory
- https://www.debian.org/security/2022/dsa-5095 Third Party Advisory
- https://www.debian.org/security/2022/dsa-5096 Third Party Advisory
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2022-0492 US Government Resource
Sources
Exploitation status from the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. EPSS scores from FIRST. Descriptions, severity and references from the National Vulnerability Database. Open-source package versions from OSV (CC-BY 4.0). Text is shown as each source states it; Stackurity does not edit it. Check the vendor's advisory before acting.
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.