What is CVE-2022-50269?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/vkms: Fix memory leak in vkms_init() A memory leak was reported after the vkms module install failed. unreferenced object 0xffff88810bc28520 (size 16): comm "modprobe", pid 9662, jiffies 4298009455 (age 42.590s) hex dump (first 16 bytes): 01 01 00 64 81 88 ff ff 00 00 dc 0a 81 88 ff ff ...d............ backtrace: [ ] kmalloc_trace+0x27/0x60 [ ] 0xffffffffc45200a9 [ ] do_one_initcall+0xd0/0x4f0 [ ] do_init_module+0x1a4/0x680 [ ] load_module+0x6249/0x7110 [ ] __do_sys_finit_module+0x140/0x200 [ ] do_syscall_64+0x35/0x80 [ ] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x46/0xb0 The reason is that the vkms_init() returns without checking the return value of vkms_create(), and if the vkms_create() failed, the config allocated at the beginning of vkms_init() is leaked. vkms_init() config = kmalloc(...) # config allocated ... return vkms_create() # vkms_create failed and config is leaked Fix this problem by checking return value of vkms_create() and free the config if error happened.

How severe is CVE-2022-50269?

CVE-2022-50269 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2022-50269 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (4th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2022-50269?

CVE-2022-50269 affects Linux Linux Kernel. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2022-50269?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

Does CVE-2022-50269 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2022-50269 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2022-55586.

When was CVE-2022-50269 published?

CVE-2022-50269 was published on 2025-09-15 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2022-50269

CVE-2022-50269 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. 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-401.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (4th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2022-55586
Weakness: CWE-401
Affected product: Linux Linux Kernel
Published: 2025-09-15
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/vkms: Fix memory leak in vkms_init() A memory leak was reported after the vkms module install failed. unreferenced object 0xffff88810bc28520 (size 16): comm "modprobe", pid 9662, jiffies 4298009455 (age 42.590s) hex dump (first 16 bytes): 01 01 00 64 81 88 ff ff 00 00 dc 0a 81 88 ff ff ...d............ backtrace: [<00000000e7561ff8>] kmalloc_trace+0x27/0x60 [<000000000b1954a0>] 0xffffffffc45200a9 [<00000000abbf1da0>] do_one_initcall+0xd0/0x4f0 [<000000001505ee87>] do_init_module+0x1a4/0x680 [<00000000958079ad>] load_module+0x6249/0x7110 [<00000000117e4696>] __do_sys_finit_module+0x140/0x200 [<00000000f74b12d2>] do_syscall_64+0x35/0x80 [<000000008fc6fcde>] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x46/0xb0 The reason is that the vkms_init() returns without checking the return value of vkms_create(), and if the vkms_create() failed, the config allocated at the beginning of vkms_init() is leaked. vkms_init() config = kmalloc(...) # config allocated ... return vkms_create() # vkms_create failed and config is leaked Fix this problem by checking return value of vkms_create() and free the config if error happened.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-50269?: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/vkms: Fix memory leak in vkms_init() A memory leak was reported after the vkms module install failed. unreferenced object 0xffff88810bc28520 (size 16): comm "modprobe", pid 9662, jiffies 4298009455 (age 42.590s) hex dump (first 16 bytes): 01 01 00 64 81 88 ff ff 00 00 dc 0a 81 88 ff ff ...d............ backtrace: [<00000000e7561ff8>] kmalloc_trace+0x27/0x60 [<000000000b1954a0>] 0xffffffffc45200a9 [<00000000abbf1da0>] do_one_initcall+0xd0/0x4f0 [<000000001505ee87>] do_init_module+0x1a4/0x680 [<00000000958079ad>] load_module+0x6249/0x7110 [<00000000117e4696>] __do_sys_finit_module+0x140/0x200 [<00000000f74b12d2>] do_syscall_64+0x35/0x80 [<000000008fc6fcde>] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x46/0xb0 The reason is that the vkms_init() returns without checking the return value of vkms_create(), and if the vkms_create() failed, the config allocated at the beginning of vkms_init() is leaked. vkms_init() config = kmalloc(...) # config allocated ... return vkms_create() # vkms_create failed and config is leaked Fix this problem by checking return value of vkms_create() and free the config if error happened.
How severe is CVE-2022-50269?: CVE-2022-50269 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2022-50269 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (4th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2022-50269?: CVE-2022-50269 affects Linux Linux Kernel. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2022-50269?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
Does CVE-2022-50269 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2022-50269 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2022-55586.
When was CVE-2022-50269 published?: CVE-2022-50269 was published on 2025-09-15 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Linux Linux Kernel

CVE-2023-2163 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Incorrect verifier pruning in BPF in Linux Kernel >=5.4 leads to unsafe code paths being incorrectly marked as safe,…
CVE-2015-8104 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The KVM subsystem in the Linux kernel through 4.2.6, and Xen 4.3.x through 4.6.x, allows guest OS users to cause a…
CVE-2015-1421 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Use-after-free vulnerability in the sctp_assoc_update function in net/sctp/associola.c in the Linux kernel before…
CVE-2014-2523 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_proto_dccp.c in the Linux kernel through 3.13.6 uses a DCCP header pointer incorrectly,…
CVE-2010-2495 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The pppol2tp_xmit function in drivers/net/pppol2tp.c in the L2TP implementation in the Linux kernel before 2.6.34 does…
CVE-2010-2521 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Multiple buffer overflows in fs/nfsd/nfs4xdr.c in the XDR implementation in the NFS server in the Linux kernel before…

All CVEs affecting Linux Linux Kernel →

Other CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-46289 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: lib/scatterlist: fix length calculations in…
CVE-2022-0742 — Critical (CVSS 9.1): Memory leak in icmp6 implementation in Linux Kernel 5.13+ allows a remote attacker to DoS a host by making it go…
CVE-2024-25450 — High (CVSS 8.8): imlib2 v1.9.1 was discovered to mishandle memory allocation in the function init_imlib_fonts().
CVE-2023-33718 — High (CVSS 8.8): mp4v2 v2.1.3 was discovered to contain a memory leak via MP4File::ReadString() at mp4file_io.cpp
CVE-2021-40633 — High (CVSS 8.8): A memory leak (out-of-memory) in gif2rgb in util/gif2rgb.c in giflib 5.1.4 allows remote attackers trigger an out of…
CVE-2021-3492 — High (CVSS 8.8): Shiftfs, an out-of-tree stacking file system included in Ubuntu Linux kernels, did not properly handle faults occurring…

Browse all CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime) vulnerabilities →