---
id: CVE-2022-3303
title: >-
  A race condition flaw was found in the Linux kernel sound subsystem due to
  improper locking
summary: >-
  A race condition flaw was found in the Linux kernel sound subsystem due to
  improper locking. It could lead to a NULL pointer dereference while handling
  the SNDCTL_DSP_SYNC ioctl. A privileged local user (root or member of the
  audio group…
severity: medium
cvss: 4.7
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'
cwe:
  - CWE-667
  - CWE-362
vendor: linux
product: linux_kernel
affected:
  - linux_kernel < 6.0
  - linux_kernel = 6.0
  - debian_linux = 10.0
  - debian_linux = 11.0
patched:
  - linux_kernel 6.0
published: '2022-09-27'
updated: '2026-10-14'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-14T14:17:23.267'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-3303'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=8423f0b6d513b259fdab9c9bf4aaa6188d054c2d
    label: secalert@redhat.com
  - url: 'https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/11/msg00001.html'
    label: secalert@redhat.com
  - url: >-
      https://lore.kernel.org/all/CAFcO6XN7JDM4xSXGhtusQfS2mSBcx50VJKwQpCq=WeLt57aaZA%40mail.gmail.com/
    label: secalert@redhat.com
  - url: 'https://www.debian.org/security/2022/dsa-5257'
    label: secalert@redhat.com
  - url: >-
      https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=8423f0b6d513b259fdab9c9bf4aaa6188d054c2d
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: 'https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/11/msg00001.html'
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: >-
      https://lore.kernel.org/all/CAFcO6XN7JDM4xSXGhtusQfS2mSBcx50VJKwQpCq=WeLt57aaZA%40mail.gmail.com/
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: 'https://www.debian.org/security/2022/dsa-5257'
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: 'https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-794697.html'
    label: 0b142b55-0307-4c5a-b3c9-f314f3fb7c5e
tags:
  - nvd
  - cve.org
  - exploit-available
epss: 0.00318
epssPercentile: 0.23552
ingestedAt: '2026-10-14T15:36:13.919Z'
exploitAvailable: true
ssvc:
  exploitation: poc
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: partial
  timestamp: '2025-05-21T15:31:25.170645Z'
---

## Overview

A race condition flaw was found in the Linux kernel sound subsystem due to improper locking. It could lead to a NULL pointer dereference while handling the SNDCTL_DSP_SYNC ioctl. A privileged local user (root or member of the audio group) could use this flaw to crash the system, resulting in a denial of service condition

## Affected

- `linux_kernel < 6.0`
- `linux_kernel = 6.0`
- `debian_linux = 10.0`
- `debian_linux = 11.0`

## Remediation

Upgrade past the affected range:

- `linux_kernel 6.0`