CVE-2022-50814: 
Linux Kernel vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2022-50814 is a global-out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the Linux kernel's HiSilicon ZIP (hisilicon/zip) crypto driver, caused by a type mismatch when getting and setting the sgl_sge_nr module parameter. The variable sgl_sge_nr is declared as type u16 (unsigned short), but the kernel module incorrectly uses param_get_int/param_set_int (which operate on 4-byte integers) instead of param_get_ushort/param_set_ushort, leading to an out-of-bounds memory read. The vulnerability was published on December 30, 2025, and affects Linux kernel versions from 5.5 up to the respective stable backport fixes. The CVSS base score is 0.0 as currently assessed, indicating low severity in practice (Feedly, ENISA EUVD).

The root cause is a type confusion / improper buffer size handling (CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read) in the hisi_zip kernel module. The sgl_sge_nr variable is a u16 (2 bytes), but param_get_int reads 4 bytes from its address, causing a global-out-of-bounds read as reported by KASAN: BUG: KASAN: global-out-of-bounds in param_get_int+0x34/0x60. The bug is triggered when a user or process reads the sgl_sge_nr kernel module parameter (e.g., via /sys/module/hisi_zip/parameters/sgl_sge_nr), which requires local access to the system. The fix replaces param_get/set_int with param_get/set_ushort to correctly match the variable's type (Feedly, Kernel Patch).

Exploitation of this vulnerability results in an out-of-bounds read of 4 bytes from kernel global memory, which could potentially expose sensitive kernel memory contents to a local user. The primary impact is on confidentiality (unintended memory disclosure) and system stability (kernel KASAN warning/crash in debug builds). The vulnerability is limited to systems using HiSilicon ZIP hardware accelerators and does not directly enable remote code execution or privilege escalation, making its practical impact relatively contained (Feedly).

The fix has been backported to multiple stable Linux kernel branches. Patched versions include: 5.10.150, 5.15.75, 5.19.17, 6.0.3, and 6.1 (mainline). Administrators should update to a patched kernel version for their distribution. SUSE has issued advisories (SUSE-2026-0350-1, SUSE-2026-0411-1) addressing this vulnerability. As a workaround, unloading the hisi_zip kernel module on systems that do not require HiSilicon ZIP hardware acceleration will prevent exposure (Feedly, Linux Security SUSE).