CVE-2022-50466

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/binfmt_elf: Fix memory leak in load_elf_binary() There is a memory leak reported by kmemleak: unreferenced object 0xffff88817104ef80 (size 224): comm "xfs_admin", pid 47165, jiffies 4298708825 (age 1333.476s) hex dump (first 32 bytes): 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 60 a8 b3 00 81 88 ff ff a8 10 5a 00 81 88 ff ff `.........Z..... backtrace: [<ffffffff819171e1>] __alloc_file+0x21/0x250 [<ffffffff81918061>] alloc_empty_file+0x41/0xf0 [<ffffffff81948cda>] path_openat+0xea/0x3d30 [<ffffffff8194ec89>] do_filp_open+0x1b9/0x290 [<ffffffff8192660e>] do_open_execat+0xce/0x5b0 [<ffffffff81926b17>] open_exec+0x27/0x50 [<ffffffff81a69250>] load_elf_binary+0x510/0x3ed0 [<ffffffff81927759>] bprm_execve+0x599/0x1240 [<ffffffff8192a997>] do_execveat_common.isra.0+0x4c7/0x680 [<ffffffff8192b078>] __x64_sys_execve+0x88/0xb0 [<ffffffff83bbf0a5>] do_syscall_64+0x35/0x80 If "interp_elf_ex" fails to allocate memory in load_elf_binary(), the program will take the "out_free_ph" error handing path, resulting in "interpreter" file resource is not released. Fix it by adding an error handing path "out_free_file", which will release the file resource when "interp_elf_ex" failed to allocate memory.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2025-10-01
Last modified 2026-01-16
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-2022-50466 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 5.7 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.10.153, 5.15.77, 6.0.7, 6.1 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 5.7
Fixed in
✓ 5.10.153 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.77 5.15.x ✓ 6.0.7 6.0.x ✓ 6.1

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2022-50466 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-2022-50466?

    CVE-2022-50466 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 5.7 onward and has been patched in 5.10.153, 5.15.77, 6.0.7 and others. CVE-2022-50466 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2022-50466?

    CVE-2022-50466 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-2022-50466?

    Yes — CVE-2022-50466 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.153, 5.15.77, 6.0.7 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.7 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2022-50466 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2022-50466 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 →