System crash via leaked device-tree node references
Published Feb 26, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026
A refcount leak in the Linux kernel ASoC mxs-saif driver allows local users to exhaust memory and crash the system. In mxs_saif_probe, of_parse_phandle increments the fsl,saif-master node reference, but the probe path fails to release it with of_node_put when finished. Repeated probing of the hardware-specific driver is required; the resulting unreclaimed references can consume kernel memory until availability is lost.
Summary
What happened
A refcount leak in the Linux kernel ASoC mxs-saif driver allows local users to exhaust memory and crash the system. In mxs_saif_probe, of_parse_phandle increments the fsl,saif-master node reference, but the probe path fails to release it with of_node_put when finished. Repeated probing of the hardware-specific driver is required; the resulting unreclaimed references can consume kernel memory until availability is lost.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-49482
- Published
- Feb 26, 2025
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Feb 26, 2025CVE 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?
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- Affected versionversion=08641c7c74dddfcd726512edfaa3b4cbe42e523e <18b907ff0ae4bf20120aae1538f7156b9d08e3a7
- Affected versionversion=08641c7c74dddfcd726512edfaa3b4cbe42e523e <24491124406666bf0dcb9ee10c5575c6ce6a1730
- Affected versionversion=08641c7c74dddfcd726512edfaa3b4cbe42e523e <2a0da7641e1f17a744ac7b3f76471388c97b63dc
- Affected versionversion=08641c7c74dddfcd726512edfaa3b4cbe42e523e <2be84f73785fa9ed6443e3c5b158730266f1c2ee
- Affected versionversion=08641c7c74dddfcd726512edfaa3b4cbe42e523e <30d110ca703ce60162ec337aa564a3e4da30715f
- Affected versionversion=08641c7c74dddfcd726512edfaa3b4cbe42e523e <4e2a1bcc51bdebed48176f6e88c150f175983f9c
- Affected versionversion=08641c7c74dddfcd726512edfaa3b4cbe42e523e <c933829cbf3338b684869e6c4c8931abf5d68fbd
- Affected versionversion=08641c7c74dddfcd726512edfaa3b4cbe42e523e <d42601e93fce7802bb8d70dd59b60cfeefa20469
- Affected versionversion=08641c7c74dddfcd726512edfaa3b4cbe42e523e <d855505851ee8ba666eb204149b49f906130dc17
- Affected versionversion=3.5
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
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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