CVE-2022-0480

Host memory exhaustion via unaccounted POSIX locks

Published Aug 29, 2022 · Updated Aug 2, 2024

Resource exhaustion in the Linux kernel allows local users to exhaust host memory by creating unbounded POSIX file locks. The filelock_init routine in fs/locks.c creates file-lock caches without memory-control-group accounting, so locks allocated by constrained processes consume uncharged kernel memory. A low-privilege local process or container workload that can create POSIX locks can deplete system memory and interrupt the host and its workloads.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.29%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Resource exhaustion in the Linux kernel allows local users to exhaust host memory by creating unbounded POSIX file locks. The filelock_init routine in fs/locks.c creates file-lock caches without memory-control-group accounting, so locks allocated by constrained processes consume uncharged kernel memory. A low-privilege local process or container workload that can create POSIX locks can deplete system memory and interrupt the host and its workloads.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-0480
Published
Aug 29, 2022
Updated
Aug 2, 2024
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
CWE-770, T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 29, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 2, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=Not Known

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=Not Known

Published CVSS scores

5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
5.5UbuntuCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-770Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling
T1499.004Endpoint Denial of Service: Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo