CVE-2022-50549

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dm thin: Fix ABBA deadlock between shrink_slab and dm_pool_abort_metadata Following concurrent processes: P1(drop cache) P2(kworker) drop_caches_sysctl_handler drop_slab shrink_slab down_read(&shrinker_rwsem) - LOCK A do_shrink_slab super_cache_scan prune_icache_sb dispose_list evict ext4_evict_inode ext4_clear_inode ext4_discard_preallocations ext4_mb_load_buddy_gfp ext4_mb_init_cache ext4_read_block_bitmap_nowait ext4_read_bh_nowait submit_bh dm_submit_bio do_worker process_deferred_bios commit metadata_operation_failed dm_pool_abort_metadata down_write(&pmd->root_lock) - LOCK B __destroy_persistent_data_objects dm_block_manager_destroy dm_bufio_client_destroy unregister_shrinker down_write(&shrinker_rwsem) thin_map | dm_thin_find_block ↓ down_read(&pmd->root_lock) --> ABBA deadlock , which triggers hung task: [ 76.974820] INFO: task kworker/u4:3:63 blocked for more than 15 seconds. [ 76.976019] Not tainted 6.1.0-rc4-00011-g8f17dd350364-dirty #910 [ 76.978521] task:kworker/u4:3 state:D stack:0 pid:63 ppid:2 [ 76.978534] Workqueue: dm-thin do_worker [ 76.978552] Call Trace: [ 76.978564] __schedule+0x6ba/0x10f0 [ 76.978582] schedule+0x9d/0x1e0 [ 76.978588] rwsem_down_write_slowpath+0x587/0xdf0 [ 76.978600] down_write+0xec/0x110 [ 76.978607] unregister_shrinker+0x2c/0xf0 [ 76.978616] dm_bufio_client_destroy+0x116/0x3d0 [ 76.978625] dm_block_manager_destroy+0x19/0x40 [ 76.978629] __destroy_persistent_data_objects+0x5e/0x70 [ 76.978636] dm_pool_abort_metadata+0x8e/0x100 [ 76.978643] metadata_operation_failed+0x86/0x110 [ 76.978649] commit+0x6a/0x230 [ 76.978655] do_worker+0xc6e/0xd90 [ 76.978702] process_one_work+0x269/0x630 [ 76.978714] worker_thread+0x266/0x630 [ 76.978730] kthread+0x151/0x1b0 [ 76.978772] INFO: task test.sh:2646 blocked for more than 15 seconds. [ 76.979756] Not tainted 6.1.0-rc4-00011-g8f17dd350364-dirty #910 [ 76.982111] task:test.sh state:D stack:0 pid:2646 ppid:2459 [ 76.982128] Call Trace: [ 76.982139] __schedule+0x6ba/0x10f0 [ 76.982155] schedule+0x9d/0x1e0 [ 76.982159] rwsem_down_read_slowpath+0x4f4/0x910 [ 76.982173] down_read+0x84/0x170 [ 76.982177] dm_thin_find_block+0x4c/0xd0 [ 76.982183] thin_map+0x201/0x3d0 [ 76.982188] __map_bio+0x5b/0x350 [ 76.982195] dm_submit_bio+0x2b6/0x930 [ 76.982202] __submit_bio+0x123/0x2d0 [ 76.982209] submit_bio_noacct_nocheck+0x101/0x3e0 [ 76.982222] submit_bio_noacct+0x389/0x770 [ 76.982227] submit_bio+0x50/0xc0 [ 76.982232] submit_bh_wbc+0x15e/0x230 [ 76.982238] submit_bh+0x14/0x20 [ 76.982241] ext4_read_bh_nowait+0xc5/0x130 [ 76.982247] ext4_read_block_bitmap_nowait+0x340/0xc60 [ 76.982254] ext4_mb_init_cache+0x1ce/0xdc0 [ 76.982259] ext4_mb_load_buddy_gfp+0x987/0xfa0 [ 76.982263] ext4_discard_preallocations+0x45d/0x830 [ 76.982274] ext4_clear_inode+0x48/0xf0 [ 76.982280] ext4_evict_inode+0xcf/0xc70 [ 76.982285] evict+0x119/0x2b0 [ 76.982290] dispose_list+0x43/0xa0 [ 76.982294] prune_icache_sb+0x64/0x90 [ 76.982298] super_cache_scan+0x155/0x210 [ 76.982303] do_shrink_slab+0x19e/0x4e0 [ 76.982310] shrink_slab+0x2bd/0x450 [ 76.982317] drop_slab+0xcc/0x1a0 [ 76.982323] drop_caches_sysctl_handler+0xb7/0xe0 [ 76.982327] proc_sys_call_handler+0x1bc/0x300 [ 76.982331] proc_sys_write+0x17/0x20 [ 76.982334] vfs_write+0x3d3/0x570 [ 76.982342] ksys_write+0x73/0x160 [ 76.982347] __x64_sys_write+0x1e/0x30 [ 76.982352] do_syscall_64+0x35/0x80 [ 76.982357] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd Funct ---truncated---

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2025-10-07
Last modified 2026-02-26
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-667

CVE-2022-50549 is a Improper Locking vulnerability

What is Improper Locking?

The product does not properly acquire or release a lock, which can lead to unexpected behaviour. Learn more on MITRE CWE

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 3.6 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.4.229, 5.10.163, 5.15.87, 6.0.18, 6.1.4, 6.2 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 3.6
Fixed in
✓ 5.4.229 5.4.x ✓ 5.10.163 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.87 5.15.x ✓ 6.0.18 6.0.x ✓ 6.1.4 6.1.x ✓ 6.2

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2022-50549 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

6 patch commits total View all on NVD

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2022-50549?

    CVE-2022-50549 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 , classified as an Improper Locking flaw (CWE-667) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 3.6 onward and has been patched in 5.4.229, 5.10.163, 5.15.87 and others. CVE-2022-50549 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2022-50549?

    CVE-2022-50549 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-2022-50549?

    Yes — CVE-2022-50549 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.4.229, 5.10.163, 5.15.87 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 3.6 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2022-50549 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2022-50549 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

  • What is Improper Locking (CWE-667)?

    The product does not properly acquire or release a lock, which can lead to unexpected behaviour. View CWE-667 on MITRE CWE →

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