CVE-2022-49840

High

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf, test_run: Fix alignment problem in bpf_prog_test_run_skb() We got a syzkaller problem because of aarch64 alignment fault if KFENCE enabled. When the size from user bpf program is an odd number, like 399, 407, etc, it will cause the struct skb_shared_info's unaligned access. As seen below: BUG: KFENCE: use-after-free read in __skb_clone+0x23c/0x2a0 net/core/skbuff.c:1032 Use-after-free read at 0xffff6254fffac077 (in kfence-#213): __lse_atomic_add arch/arm64/include/asm/atomic_lse.h:26 [inline] arch_atomic_add arch/arm64/include/asm/atomic.h:28 [inline] arch_atomic_inc include/linux/atomic-arch-fallback.h:270 [inline] atomic_inc include/asm-generic/atomic-instrumented.h:241 [inline] __skb_clone+0x23c/0x2a0 net/core/skbuff.c:1032 skb_clone+0xf4/0x214 net/core/skbuff.c:1481 ____bpf_clone_redirect net/core/filter.c:2433 [inline] bpf_clone_redirect+0x78/0x1c0 net/core/filter.c:2420 bpf_prog_d3839dd9068ceb51+0x80/0x330 bpf_dispatcher_nop_func include/linux/bpf.h:728 [inline] bpf_test_run+0x3c0/0x6c0 net/bpf/test_run.c:53 bpf_prog_test_run_skb+0x638/0xa7c net/bpf/test_run.c:594 bpf_prog_test_run kernel/bpf/syscall.c:3148 [inline] __do_sys_bpf kernel/bpf/syscall.c:4441 [inline] __se_sys_bpf+0xad0/0x1634 kernel/bpf/syscall.c:4381 kfence-#213: 0xffff6254fffac000-0xffff6254fffac196, size=407, cache=kmalloc-512 allocated by task 15074 on cpu 0 at 1342.585390s: kmalloc include/linux/slab.h:568 [inline] kzalloc include/linux/slab.h:675 [inline] bpf_test_init.isra.0+0xac/0x290 net/bpf/test_run.c:191 bpf_prog_test_run_skb+0x11c/0xa7c net/bpf/test_run.c:512 bpf_prog_test_run kernel/bpf/syscall.c:3148 [inline] __do_sys_bpf kernel/bpf/syscall.c:4441 [inline] __se_sys_bpf+0xad0/0x1634 kernel/bpf/syscall.c:4381 __arm64_sys_bpf+0x50/0x60 kernel/bpf/syscall.c:4381 To fix the problem, we adjust @size so that (@size + @hearoom) is a multiple of SMP_CACHE_BYTES. So we make sure the struct skb_shared_info is aligned to a cache line.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2025-05-01
Last modified 2025-10-01
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

7.8

out of 10
High
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Weakness type

CWE-416

CVE-2022-49840 is a Use After Free vulnerability

What is Use After Free?

The product references memory after it has been freed, which may cause it to crash, use unexpected values, or execute code. Learn more on MITRE CWE

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 4.12 and later are affected. Fixed in 4.14.300, 4.19.267, 5.4.225, 5.10.156, 5.15.80, 6.0.10, 6.1 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 4.12
Fixed in
✓ 4.14.300 4.14.x ✓ 4.19.267 4.19.x ✓ 5.4.225 5.4.x ✓ 5.10.156 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.80 5.15.x ✓ 6.0.10 6.0.x ✓ 6.1

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2022-49840 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2022-49840?

    CVE-2022-49840 is a High severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10 , classified as an Use After Free flaw (CWE-416) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.12 onward and has been patched in 4.14.300, 4.19.267, 5.4.225 and others. CVE-2022-49840 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2022-49840?

    CVE-2022-49840 has a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10, rated High severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2022-49840?

    Yes — CVE-2022-49840 has been patched. Fixed versions include 4.14.300, 4.19.267, 5.4.225 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.12 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2022-49840 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2022-49840 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

  • What is Use After Free (CWE-416)?

    The product references memory after it has been freed, which may cause it to crash, use unexpected values, or execute code. View CWE-416 on MITRE CWE →