CVE-2022-50486
Unknown Unknown - Not Provided
BaseFortify

Publication date: 2025-10-04

Last updated on: 2026-03-25

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: ethernet: ti: Fix return type of netcp_ndo_start_xmit() With clang's kernel control flow integrity (kCFI, CONFIG_CFI_CLANG), indirect call targets are validated against the expected function pointer prototype to make sure the call target is valid to help mitigate ROP attacks. If they are not identical, there is a failure at run time, which manifests as either a kernel panic or thread getting killed. A proposed warning in clang aims to catch these at compile time, which reveals: drivers/net/ethernet/ti/netcp_core.c:1944:21: error: incompatible function pointer types initializing 'netdev_tx_t (*)(struct sk_buff *, struct net_device *)' (aka 'enum netdev_tx (*)(struct sk_buff *, struct net_device *)') with an expression of type 'int (struct sk_buff *, struct net_device *)' [-Werror,-Wincompatible-function-pointer-types-strict] .ndo_start_xmit = netcp_ndo_start_xmit, ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1 error generated. ->ndo_start_xmit() in 'struct net_device_ops' expects a return type of 'netdev_tx_t', not 'int'. Adjust the return type of netcp_ndo_start_xmit() to match the prototype's to resolve the warning and CFI failure.
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Meta Information
Published
2025-10-04
Last Modified
2026-03-25
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2025-10-04
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-14
NVD
CVE-2022-50486
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel From 5.15.160 (inc) to 5.16 (inc)
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Exploitability
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN
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Executive Summary

This vulnerability is related to a type mismatch in the Linux kernel's network driver code for TI ethernet devices. Specifically, the function netcp_ndo_start_xmit() was declared with an incorrect return type 'int' instead of the expected 'netdev_tx_t'. With Clang's kernel control flow integrity (kCFI) enabled, this mismatch causes runtime failures such as kernel panics or thread termination because indirect function calls are validated against expected prototypes to prevent return-oriented programming (ROP) attacks. Fixing the return type resolves these runtime failures and improves kernel security.

Impact Analysis

If this vulnerability is present, it can cause the Linux kernel to panic or kill threads unexpectedly when using the affected TI ethernet driver, leading to system instability or denial of service. This can disrupt network functionality and potentially impact the reliability of systems running this kernel version with the affected driver and Clang's kernel control flow integrity enabled.

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