CVE-2022-50457

CVE-2022-50457 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.

Key facts

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mtd: core: Fix refcount error in del_mtd_device() del_mtd_device() will call of_node_put() to mtd_get_of_node(mtd), which is mtd->dev.of_node. However, memset(&mtd->dev, 0) is called before of_node_put(). As the result, of_node_put() won't do anything in del_mtd_device(), and causes the refcount leak. del_mtd_device() memset(&mtd->dev, 0, sizeof(mtd->dev) # clear mtd->dev of_node_put() mtd_get_of_node(mtd) # mtd->dev is cleared, can't locate of_node # of_node_put(NULL) won't do anything Fix the error by caching the pointer of the device_node. OF: ERROR: memory leak, expected refcount 1 instead of 2, of_node_get()/of_node_put() unbalanced - destroy cset entry: attach overlay node /spi/spi-sram@0 CPU: 3 PID: 275 Comm: python3 Tainted: G N 6.1.0-rc3+ #54 0d8a1edddf51f172ff5226989a7565c6313b08e2 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.15.0-0-g2dd4b9b3f840-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x67/0x83 kobject_get+0x155/0x160 of_node_get+0x1f/0x30 of_fwnode_get+0x43/0x70 fwnode_handle_get+0x54/0x80 fwnode_get_nth_parent+0xc9/0xe0 fwnode_full_name_string+0x3f/0xa0 device_node_string+0x30f/0x750 pointer+0x598/0x7a0 vsnprintf+0x62d/0x9b0 ... cfs_overlay_release+0x30/0x90 config_item_release+0xbe/0x1a0 config_item_put+0x5e/0x80 configfs_rmdir+0x3bd/0x540 vfs_rmdir+0x18c/0x320 do_rmdir+0x198/0x330 __x64_sys_rmdir+0x2c/0x40 do_syscall_64+0x37/0x90 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd [<[email protected]>: Light reword of the commit log]

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-50457?
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mtd: core: Fix refcount error in del_mtd_device() del_mtd_device() will call of_node_put() to mtd_get_of_node(mtd), which is mtd->dev.of_node. However, memset(&mtd->dev, 0) is called before of_node_put(). As the result, of_node_put() won't do anything in del_mtd_device(), and causes the refcount leak. del_mtd_device() memset(&mtd->dev, 0, sizeof(mtd->dev) # clear mtd->dev of_node_put() mtd_get_of_node(mtd) # mtd->dev is cleared, can't locate of_node # of_node_put(NULL) won't do anything Fix the error by caching the pointer of the device_node. OF: ERROR: memory leak, expected refcount 1 instead of 2, of_node_get()/of_node_put() unbalanced - destroy cset entry: attach overlay node /spi/spi-sram@0 CPU: 3 PID: 275 Comm: python3 Tainted: G N 6.1.0-rc3+ #54 0d8a1edddf51f172ff5226989a7565c6313b08e2 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.15.0-0-g2dd4b9b3f840-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x67/0x83 kobject_get+0x155/0x160 of_node_get+0x1f/0x30 of_fwnode_get+0x43/0x70 fwnode_handle_get+0x54/0x80 fwnode_get_nth_parent+0xc9/0xe0 fwnode_full_name_string+0x3f/0xa0 device_node_string+0x30f/0x750 pointer+0x598/0x7a0 vsnprintf+0x62d/0x9b0 ... cfs_overlay_release+0x30/0x90 config_item_release+0xbe/0x1a0 config_item_put+0x5e/0x80 configfs_rmdir+0x3bd/0x540 vfs_rmdir+0x18c/0x320 do_rmdir+0x198/0x330 __x64_sys_rmdir+0x2c/0x40 do_syscall_64+0x37/0x90 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd [<[email protected]>: Light reword of the commit log]
How severe is CVE-2022-50457?
CVE-2022-50457 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-2022-50457 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-2022-50457?
CVE-2022-50457 affects Linux Linux Kernel. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2022-50457?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
Does CVE-2022-50457 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2022-50457 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2025-32840.
When was CVE-2022-50457 published?
CVE-2022-50457 was published on 2025-10-01 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

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