CVE-2022-49956

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

staging: rtl8712: fix use after free bugs

_Read/Write_MACREG callbacks are NULL so the read/write_macreg_hdl() functions don't do anything except free the "pcmd" pointer. It results in a use after free. Delete them.

This vulnerability is rated as Moderate impact because exploitation requires local access and the presence of specific Realtek RTL8712 USB wireless hardware. The issue stems from improper pointer lifetime handling in the rtl8712 staging driver, which can cause a kernel crash or privilege escalation if malicious commands are processed. Typical enterprise deployments do not utilize these wireless network adapters, and the driver is not built in modern releases such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9.

The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.