CVE-2022-49801

Service interruption via unreleased tracing format buffers

Published May 1, 2025 · Updated May 23, 2026

Memory leak in tracing_read_pipe() in affected Linux kernel versions allows local users to exhaust memory and interrupt service. trace_iter_expand_format() allocates iter->fmt while trace output is read, but tracing_release_pipe() fails to free that buffer when the pipe closes. Access to the local tracing interface with low privileges is required, and repeated reads can consume kernel memory until availability is lost.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.19%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Memory leak in tracing_read_pipe() in affected Linux kernel versions allows local users to exhaust memory and interrupt service. trace_iter_expand_format() allocates iter->fmt while trace output is read, but tracing_release_pipe() fails to free that buffer when the pipe closes. Access to the local tracing interface with low privileges is required, and repeated reads can consume kernel memory until availability is lost.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-49801
Published
May 1, 2025
Updated
May 23, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-401, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 1, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 23, 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=5.10.190 <5.11
  2. Affected versionversion=5.12
  3. Affected versionversion=840ce9cfc86f89c335625ec297acc0375f82e19b
  4. Affected versionversion=efbbdaa22bb78761bff8dfdde027ad04bedd47ce <2c21ee020ce43d744ecd7f3e9bddfcaafef270ce
  5. Affected versionversion=efbbdaa22bb78761bff8dfdde027ad04bedd47ce <649e72070cbbb8600eb823833e4748f5a0815116
  6. Affected versionversion=efbbdaa22bb78761bff8dfdde027ad04bedd47ce <a7d3f8f33c113478737bc61bb32ec5f9a987da7d

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=5.10.190 <5.11; version=5.12; version=840ce9cfc86f89c335625ec297acc0375f82e19b; version=efbbdaa22bb78761bff8dfdde027ad04bedd47ce <2c21ee020ce43d744ecd7f3e9bddfcaafef270ce; version=efbbdaa22bb78761bff8dfdde027ad04bedd47ce <649e72070cbbb8600eb823833e4748f5a0815116; version=efbbdaa22bb78761bff8dfdde027ad04bedd47ce <a7d3f8f33c113478737bc61bb32ec5f9a987da7d

Published CVSS scores

5.5NIST NVDCVSS: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.

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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-401Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

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

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Your stack

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