CVE-2022-49878

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf, verifier: Fix memory leak in array reallocation for stack state If an error (NULL) is returned by krealloc(), callers of realloc_array() were setting their allocation pointers to NULL, but on error krealloc() does not touch the original allocation. This would result in a memory resource leak. Instead, free the old allocation on the error handling path. The memory leak information is as follows as also reported by Zhengchao: unreferenced object 0xffff888019801800 (size 256): comm "bpf_repo", pid 6490, jiffies 4294959200 (age 17.170s) hex dump (first 32 bytes): 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ backtrace: [<00000000b211474b>] __kmalloc_node_track_caller+0x45/0xc0 [<0000000086712a0b>] krealloc+0x83/0xd0 [<00000000139aab02>] realloc_array+0x82/0xe2 [<00000000b1ca41d1>] grow_stack_state+0xfb/0x186 [<00000000cd6f36d2>] check_mem_access.cold+0x141/0x1341 [<0000000081780455>] do_check_common+0x5358/0xb350 [<0000000015f6b091>] bpf_check.cold+0xc3/0x29d [<000000002973c690>] bpf_prog_load+0x13db/0x2240 [<00000000028d1644>] __sys_bpf+0x1605/0x4ce0 [<00000000053f29bd>] __x64_sys_bpf+0x75/0xb0 [<0000000056fedaf5>] do_syscall_64+0x35/0x80 [<000000002bd58261>] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd

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

CVSS 3.1 score

5.5

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

Weakness type

CWE-401

CVE-2022-49878 is a Memory Leak vulnerability

What is Memory Leak?

The product does not release memory after use, causing gradual resource exhaustion. Learn more on MITRE CWE

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 5.14 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.15.79, 6.0.9, 6.1 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 5.14
Fixed in
✓ 5.15.79 5.15.x ✓ 6.0.9 6.0.x ✓ 6.1

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2022-49878 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-2022-49878?

    CVE-2022-49878 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 , classified as a Memory Leak flaw (CWE-401) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.14 onward and has been patched in 5.15.79, 6.0.9 and 6.1. CVE-2022-49878 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2022-49878?

    CVE-2022-49878 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2022-49878?

    Yes — CVE-2022-49878 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.15.79, 6.0.9 and 6.1. If you are running Linux kernel 5.14 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2022-49878 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2022-49878 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

  • What is Memory Leak (CWE-401)?

    The product does not release memory after use, causing gradual resource exhaustion. View CWE-401 on MITRE CWE →