+44 1865 950 828 Secure Your Business
Actively exploited

CVE-2022-0847 Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Linux kernel contains an improper initialization vulnerability where an unprivileged local user could escalate their privileges on the system. This vulnerability has the moniker of "Dirty Pipe."

From the CISA KEV catalogue version 2026.11.06, with Cybergen analysis. Updated 6 Nov 2026.

Our Assessment

Should You Worry?

Patch urgentlyCybergen assessment
  • CISA confirmed exploitation in the wild and added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 25 Apr 2022.
  • Rated High severity (CVSS 7.8, scored by CISA).
  • It has been in the catalogue for 1,656 days. Systems still unpatched now have almost certainly been scanned for it.
The Vulnerability

What It Is

A flaw was found in the way the "flags" member of the new pipe buffer structure was lacking proper initialization in copy_page_to_iter_pipe and push_pipe functions in the Linux kernel and could thus contain stale values. An unprivileged local user could use this flaw to write to pages in the page cache backed by read only files and as such escalate their privileges on the system.

Affected Versions

ProductVersions
kernelLinux Kernel 5.17 rc6

From the public CVE record, as supplied by the vendor. Always confirm against the vendor advisory.

From Watch to Action

What To Do Now

  1. 1

    Find it

    Search your asset inventory and external attack surface for Linux Kernel. Include cloud images, appliances and anything a supplier runs for you.

    Attack Surface Management
  2. 2

    Fix it

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

    Vulnerability Management
  3. 3

    Hunt for compromise

    If an affected system was reachable before you patched, assume it may have been hit. Check logs, new accounts, web shells and outbound connections from the date of exposure.

    Incident Response
  4. 4

    Prove it is fixed

    Rescan or test the system after patching. Upgrades that fail silently and forgotten secondary instances are common.

    Penetration Testing

Vendor Advisories

Regulation

The Compliance Clock

Cyber EssentialsRated high, so if it affects devices in your Cyber Essentials scope, the update must be installed within 14 days of the vendor releasing it.NIS2If exploitation causes a significant incident, essential and important entities owe their CSIRT an early warning within 24 hours and a notification within 72 hours.DORAFinancial entities must classify ICT incidents and send an initial notification for a major incident within strict deadlines, with exploited flaws a common cause.US federal (BOD 22-01)Federal civilian agencies had until 16 May 2022 to remediate. A sensible benchmark for everyone else.

General guidance, not legal advice. Your obligations depend on your sector, scope and jurisdiction.

Stay Ahead

More Exploited Linux Flaws

Get alerts for LinuxWe email you when a new Linux vulnerability is confirmed as exploited. Add more vendors on Threat Watch.

By signing up you agree to receive Threat Watch alerts. Unsubscribe at any time. See our Privacy Policy.

CVE-2026-46300Linux Kernel Missing Initialization of a Variable VulnerabilityAdded 28 Oct 2026CVE-2025-39964Linux Kernel Race Condition VulnerabilityAdded 18 Sep 2026CVE-2026-53266Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write VulnerabilityAdded 18 Sep 2026CVE-2025-39682Linux Kernel Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions VulnerabilityAdded 18 Sep 2026CVE-2026-53362Linux Kernel Unspecified VulnerabilityAdded 27 Aug 2026CVE-2022-0995Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write VulnerabilityAdded 26 Aug 2026

All 32 exploited Linux vulnerabilities

Not Sure If You Are Exposed?

Our attack surface and vulnerability teams can check your internet-facing estate for CVE-2022-0847 and every other exploited flaw on the list.

Check My Exposure
Evidence

Sources

  1. CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue
  2. NVD: CVE-2022-0847
  3. CVE record: CVE-2022-0847
  4. FIRST EPSS
  5. bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2060795
  6. dirtypipe.cm4all.com/
  7. packetstormsecurity.com/files/166230/Dirty-Pipe-SUID-Binary-Hijack-Privilege-Escalation.html
  8. packetstormsecurity.com/files/166229/Dirty-Pipe-Linux-Privilege-Escalation.html
  9. packetstormsecurity.com/files/166258/Dirty-Pipe-Local-Privilege-Escalation.html
  10. suse.com/support/kb/doc/?id=000020603
  11. security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220325-0005/
  12. cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-222547.pdf