CVE-2022-50259

CVE-2022-50259 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel with a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.7. 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-362.

Key facts

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf, sockmap: fix race in sock_map_free() sock_map_free() calls release_sock(sk) without owning a reference on the socket. This can cause use-after-free as syzbot found [1] Jakub Sitnicki already took care of a similar issue in sock_hash_free() in commit 75e68e5bf2c7 ("bpf, sockhash: Synchronize delete from bucket list on map free") [1] refcount_t: decrement hit 0; leaking memory. WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 3785 at lib/refcount.c:31 refcount_warn_saturate+0x17c/0x1a0 lib/refcount.c:31 Modules linked in: CPU: 0 PID: 3785 Comm: kworker/u4:6 Not tainted 6.1.0-rc7-syzkaller-00103-gef4d3ea40565 #0 Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 10/26/2022 Workqueue: events_unbound bpf_map_free_deferred RIP: 0010:refcount_warn_saturate+0x17c/0x1a0 lib/refcount.c:31 Code: 68 8b 31 c0 e8 75 71 15 fd 0f 0b e9 64 ff ff ff e8 d9 6e 4e fd c6 05 62 9c 3d 0a 01 48 c7 c7 80 bb 68 8b 31 c0 e8 54 71 15 fd <0f> 0b e9 43 ff ff ff 89 d9 80 e1 07 80 c1 03 38 c1 0f 8c a2 fe ff RSP: 0018:ffffc9000456fb60 EFLAGS: 00010246 RAX: eae59bab72dcd700 RBX: 0000000000000004 RCX: ffff8880207057c0 RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 0000000000000201 RDI: 0000000000000000 RBP: 0000000000000004 R08: ffffffff816fdabd R09: fffff520008adee5 R10: fffff520008adee5 R11: 1ffff920008adee4 R12: 0000000000000004 R13: dffffc0000000000 R14: ffff88807b1c6c00 R15: 1ffff1100f638dcf FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff8880b9800000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 0000001b30c30000 CR3: 000000000d08e000 CR4: 00000000003506f0 DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000 DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400 Call Trace: <TASK> __refcount_dec include/linux/refcount.h:344 [inline] refcount_dec include/linux/refcount.h:359 [inline] __sock_put include/net/sock.h:779 [inline] tcp_release_cb+0x2d0/0x360 net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:1092 release_sock+0xaf/0x1c0 net/core/sock.c:3468 sock_map_free+0x219/0x2c0 net/core/sock_map.c:356 process_one_work+0x81c/0xd10 kernel/workqueue.c:2289 worker_thread+0xb14/0x1330 kernel/workqueue.c:2436 kthread+0x266/0x300 kernel/kthread.c:376 ret_from_fork+0x1f/0x30 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:306 </TASK>

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-50259?
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf, sockmap: fix race in sock_map_free() sock_map_free() calls release_sock(sk) without owning a reference on the socket. This can cause use-after-free as syzbot found [1] Jakub Sitnicki already took care of a similar issue in sock_hash_free() in commit 75e68e5bf2c7 ("bpf, sockhash: Synchronize delete from bucket list on map free") [1] refcount_t: decrement hit 0; leaking memory. WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 3785 at lib/refcount.c:31 refcount_warn_saturate+0x17c/0x1a0 lib/refcount.c:31 Modules linked in: CPU: 0 PID: 3785 Comm: kworker/u4:6 Not tainted 6.1.0-rc7-syzkaller-00103-gef4d3ea40565 #0 Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 10/26/2022 Workqueue: events_unbound bpf_map_free_deferred RIP: 0010:refcount_warn_saturate+0x17c/0x1a0 lib/refcount.c:31 Code: 68 8b 31 c0 e8 75 71 15 fd 0f 0b e9 64 ff ff ff e8 d9 6e 4e fd c6 05 62 9c 3d 0a 01 48 c7 c7 80 bb 68 8b 31 c0 e8 54 71 15 fd <0f> 0b e9 43 ff ff ff 89 d9 80 e1 07 80 c1 03 38 c1 0f 8c a2 fe ff RSP: 0018:ffffc9000456fb60 EFLAGS: 00010246 RAX: eae59bab72dcd700 RBX: 0000000000000004 RCX: ffff8880207057c0 RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 0000000000000201 RDI: 0000000000000000 RBP: 0000000000000004 R08: ffffffff816fdabd R09: fffff520008adee5 R10: fffff520008adee5 R11: 1ffff920008adee4 R12: 0000000000000004 R13: dffffc0000000000 R14: ffff88807b1c6c00 R15: 1ffff1100f638dcf FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff8880b9800000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 0000001b30c30000 CR3: 000000000d08e000 CR4: 00000000003506f0 DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000 DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400 Call Trace: <TASK> __refcount_dec include/linux/refcount.h:344 [inline] refcount_dec include/linux/refcount.h:359 [inline] __sock_put include/net/sock.h:779 [inline] tcp_release_cb+0x2d0/0x360 net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:1092 release_sock+0xaf/0x1c0 net/core/sock.c:3468 sock_map_free+0x219/0x2c0 net/core/sock_map.c:356 process_one_work+0x81c/0xd10 kernel/workqueue.c:2289 worker_thread+0xb14/0x1330 kernel/workqueue.c:2436 kthread+0x266/0x300 kernel/kthread.c:376 ret_from_fork+0x1f/0x30 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:306 </TASK>
How severe is CVE-2022-50259?
CVE-2022-50259 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.7, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2022-50259 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (1st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2022-50259?
CVE-2022-50259 primarily affects Linux Linux Kernel. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2022-50259?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
Does CVE-2022-50259 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2022-50259 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2022-55493.
When was CVE-2022-50259 published?
CVE-2022-50259 was published on 2025-09-15 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (3)

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