Kernel reference-state corruption via shared AX.25 tracker
Published Jun 18, 2025 · Updated May 23, 2026
Reference-tracking error in Linux kernel AX.25 allows local users to corrupt network-device reference state through socket use. ax25_bind records multiple struct ax25_cb users against one ax25_dev dev_tracker, while ax25_release frees that shared tracker as if it belonged to one connection. Local access and CONFIG_NET_DEV_REFCNT_TRACKER=y expose the documented ref_tracker warning; public sources disclose no resulting crash or code-execution path.
Summary
What happened
Reference-tracking error in Linux kernel AX.25 allows local users to corrupt network-device reference state through socket use. ax25_bind records multiple struct ax25_cb users against one ax25_dev dev_tracker, while ax25_release frees that shared tracker as if it belonged to one connection. Local access and CONFIG_NET_DEV_REFCNT_TRACKER=y expose the documented ref_tracker warning; public sources disclose no resulting crash or code-execution path.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-50163
- Published
- Jun 18, 2025
- Updated
- May 23, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 18, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- 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.
- Affected versionversion=4.14.277 <4.15
- Affected versionversion=4.19.240 <4.20
- Affected versionversion=5.10.112 <5.11
- Affected versionversion=5.15.35 <5.16
- Affected versionversion=5.17
- Affected versionversion=5.4.190 <5.5
- Affected versionversion=57cc15f5fd550316e4104eaf84b90fbc640fd7a5
- Affected versionversion=7528d0f2210c3a1154186175516ed37aa970f2b1
- Affected versionversion=b1e0a6fc7f17500484c402ad1cd018c24dfc14b3
- Affected versionversion=b8c07f33aa35dacf5444e7053ed9662d1869f536
- Affected versionversion=b982492ec3a115e0a136856a1b2dbe32f2d21a0e
- Affected versionversion=feef318c855a361a1eccd880f33e88c460eb63b4 <4294df1374450912b2f64ee3cf575069fc784679
- Affected versionversion=feef318c855a361a1eccd880f33e88c460eb63b4 <d08e3d71e5942f77fbff7f3529ed7fc82fbb3dfa
- Affected versionversion=feef318c855a361a1eccd880f33e88c460eb63b4 <d7c4c9e075f8cc6d88d277bc24e5d99297f03c06
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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