CVE-2022-50021

CVE-2022-50021 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-416.

Key facts

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: block range must be validated before use in ext4_mb_clear_bb() Block range to free is validated in ext4_free_blocks() using ext4_inode_block_valid() and then it's passed to ext4_mb_clear_bb(). However in some situations on bigalloc file system the range might be adjusted after the validation in ext4_free_blocks() which can lead to troubles on corrupted file systems such as one found by syzkaller that resulted in the following BUG kernel BUG at fs/ext4/ext4.h:3319! PREEMPT SMP NOPTI CPU: 28 PID: 4243 Comm: repro Kdump: loaded Not tainted 5.19.0-rc6+ #1 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.15.0-1.fc35 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:ext4_free_blocks+0x95e/0xa90 Call Trace: <TASK> ? lock_timer_base+0x61/0x80 ? __es_remove_extent+0x5a/0x760 ? __mod_timer+0x256/0x380 ? ext4_ind_truncate_ensure_credits+0x90/0x220 ext4_clear_blocks+0x107/0x1b0 ext4_free_data+0x15b/0x170 ext4_ind_truncate+0x214/0x2c0 ? _raw_spin_unlock+0x15/0x30 ? ext4_discard_preallocations+0x15a/0x410 ? ext4_journal_check_start+0xe/0x90 ? __ext4_journal_start_sb+0x2f/0x110 ext4_truncate+0x1b5/0x460 ? __ext4_journal_start_sb+0x2f/0x110 ext4_evict_inode+0x2b4/0x6f0 evict+0xd0/0x1d0 ext4_enable_quotas+0x11f/0x1f0 ext4_orphan_cleanup+0x3de/0x430 ? proc_create_seq_private+0x43/0x50 ext4_fill_super+0x295f/0x3ae0 ? snprintf+0x39/0x40 ? sget_fc+0x19c/0x330 ? ext4_reconfigure+0x850/0x850 get_tree_bdev+0x16d/0x260 vfs_get_tree+0x25/0xb0 path_mount+0x431/0xa70 __x64_sys_mount+0xe2/0x120 do_syscall_64+0x5b/0x80 ? do_user_addr_fault+0x1e2/0x670 ? exc_page_fault+0x70/0x170 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x46/0xb0 RIP: 0033:0x7fdf4e512ace Fix it by making sure that the block range is properly validated before used every time it changes in ext4_free_blocks() or ext4_mb_clear_bb().

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-50021?
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: block range must be validated before use in ext4_mb_clear_bb() Block range to free is validated in ext4_free_blocks() using ext4_inode_block_valid() and then it's passed to ext4_mb_clear_bb(). However in some situations on bigalloc file system the range might be adjusted after the validation in ext4_free_blocks() which can lead to troubles on corrupted file systems such as one found by syzkaller that resulted in the following BUG kernel BUG at fs/ext4/ext4.h:3319! PREEMPT SMP NOPTI CPU: 28 PID: 4243 Comm: repro Kdump: loaded Not tainted 5.19.0-rc6+ #1 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.15.0-1.fc35 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:ext4_free_blocks+0x95e/0xa90 Call Trace: <TASK> ? lock_timer_base+0x61/0x80 ? __es_remove_extent+0x5a/0x760 ? __mod_timer+0x256/0x380 ? ext4_ind_truncate_ensure_credits+0x90/0x220 ext4_clear_blocks+0x107/0x1b0 ext4_free_data+0x15b/0x170 ext4_ind_truncate+0x214/0x2c0 ? _raw_spin_unlock+0x15/0x30 ? ext4_discard_preallocations+0x15a/0x410 ? ext4_journal_check_start+0xe/0x90 ? __ext4_journal_start_sb+0x2f/0x110 ext4_truncate+0x1b5/0x460 ? __ext4_journal_start_sb+0x2f/0x110 ext4_evict_inode+0x2b4/0x6f0 evict+0xd0/0x1d0 ext4_enable_quotas+0x11f/0x1f0 ext4_orphan_cleanup+0x3de/0x430 ? proc_create_seq_private+0x43/0x50 ext4_fill_super+0x295f/0x3ae0 ? snprintf+0x39/0x40 ? sget_fc+0x19c/0x330 ? ext4_reconfigure+0x850/0x850 get_tree_bdev+0x16d/0x260 vfs_get_tree+0x25/0xb0 path_mount+0x431/0xa70 __x64_sys_mount+0xe2/0x120 do_syscall_64+0x5b/0x80 ? do_user_addr_fault+0x1e2/0x670 ? exc_page_fault+0x70/0x170 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x46/0xb0 RIP: 0033:0x7fdf4e512ace Fix it by making sure that the block range is properly validated before used every time it changes in ext4_free_blocks() or ext4_mb_clear_bb().
How severe is CVE-2022-50021?
CVE-2022-50021 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2022-50021 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (6th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2022-50021?
CVE-2022-50021 affects Linux Linux Kernel. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2022-50021?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
Does CVE-2022-50021 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2022-50021 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2022-55297.
When was CVE-2022-50021 published?
CVE-2022-50021 was published on 2025-06-18 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

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