Memory exhaustion via redundant VLAN driver calls
Published May 1, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026
Memory leak in the Linux kernel bridge VLAN code allows local users to exhaust memory by repeatedly changing a bridge's VLAN protocol. __br_vlan_set_proto calls the 8021q driver to add and delete switchdev-offloaded VLANs despite their BR_VLFLAG_ADDED_BY_SWITCHDEV flag. The path requires local permission to reconfigure bridge links and protocol-change-capable switchdev hardware; repeated changes consume kernel memory.
Summary
What happened
Memory leak in the Linux kernel bridge VLAN code allows local users to exhaust memory by repeatedly changing a bridge's VLAN protocol. __br_vlan_set_proto calls the 8021q driver to add and delete switchdev-offloaded VLANs despite their BR_VLFLAG_ADDED_BY_SWITCHDEV flag. The path requires local permission to reconfigure bridge links and protocol-change-capable switchdev hardware; repeated changes consume kernel memory.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-49812
- Published
- May 1, 2025
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-401, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 1, 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=279737939a8194f02fa352ab4476a1b241f44ef4 <347f1793b573466424c550f2748ed837b6690fe7
- Affected versionversion=279737939a8194f02fa352ab4476a1b241f44ef4 <9d45921ee4cb364910097e7d1b7558559c2f9fd2
- Affected versionversion=279737939a8194f02fa352ab4476a1b241f44ef4 <f8926e2d2225eb7b7e11cd3fa266aaad9075b767
- Affected versionversion=279737939a8194f02fa352ab4476a1b241f44ef4 <fc16a2c81a3eb1cbba8775f5bdc67856df903a7c
- Affected versionversion=5.0
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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