Kernel resource exhaustion via unreleased device-node reference
Published Jul 16, 2024 · Updated May 11, 2026
A reference leak in the Linux Xilinx Emaclite driver allows local users to consume kernel memory through repeated device probing. In xemaclite_of_probe, of_parse_phandle increments the PHY device-tree node reference, but the probe path retains it without of_node_put. Reachability requires the Xilinx Emaclite driver and a matching device-tree node; sustained triggering can hang or crash the host.
Summary
What happened
A reference leak in the Linux Xilinx Emaclite driver allows local users to consume kernel memory through repeated device probing. In xemaclite_of_probe, of_parse_phandle increments the PHY device-tree node reference, but the probe path retains it without of_node_put. Reachability requires the Xilinx Emaclite driver and a matching device-tree node; sustained triggering can hang or crash the host.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-48860
- Published
- Jul 16, 2024
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-401, T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 16, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 11, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=2.6.34
- Affected versionversion=5cdaaa12866e916d0ada8b56c5f0e543cfc7fe3d <1852854ee349881efb78ccdbbb237838975902e4
- Affected versionversion=5cdaaa12866e916d0ada8b56c5f0e543cfc7fe3d <5e7c402892e189a7bc152b125e72261154aa585d
- Affected versionversion=5cdaaa12866e916d0ada8b56c5f0e543cfc7fe3d <669172ce976608b25a2f76f3c65d47f042d125c9
- Affected versionversion=5cdaaa12866e916d0ada8b56c5f0e543cfc7fe3d <8609e29611befc4bfbe7a91bb50fc65ae72ff549
- Affected versionversion=5cdaaa12866e916d0ada8b56c5f0e543cfc7fe3d <8ee065a7a9b6a3976c16340503677efc4d8351f6
- Affected versionversion=5cdaaa12866e916d0ada8b56c5f0e543cfc7fe3d <979b418b96e35f07136f77962ccfaa54cf3e30e1
- Affected versionversion=5cdaaa12866e916d0ada8b56c5f0e543cfc7fe3d <b19ab4b38b06aae12442b2de95ccf58b5dc53584
- Affected versionversion=5cdaaa12866e916d0ada8b56c5f0e543cfc7fe3d <b7220f8e9d6c6b9594ddfb3125dad938cd478b1f
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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