Local kernel compromise via premature controller release
Published Jun 18, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026
Use-after-free in the Linux kernel SPI core allows local users to compromise kernel confidentiality, integrity, and availability. When devm_add_action_or_reset() fails, devm_spi_unregister() drops ctlr->dev's reference count to zero before affected drivers call spi_put_controller() on their error path. Reachability requires that allocation-failure path and a driver that performs the additional controller release.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in the Linux kernel SPI core allows local users to compromise kernel confidentiality, integrity, and availability. When devm_add_action_or_reset() fails, devm_spi_unregister() drops ctlr->dev's reference count to zero before affected drivers call spi_put_controller() on their error path. Reachability requires that allocation-failure path and a driver that performs the additional controller release.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-50190
- Published
- Jun 18, 2025
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-416, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 18, 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
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=5.13
- Affected versionversion=59ebbe40fb51e307032ae7f63b2749fad2d4635a <34bab623ebfc08398499e463396b81abb4abe01e
- Affected versionversion=59ebbe40fb51e307032ae7f63b2749fad2d4635a <3c6bd448442b6c3f6843ac70d57201a13478dd47
- Affected versionversion=59ebbe40fb51e307032ae7f63b2749fad2d4635a <43cc5a0afe4184a7fafe1eba32b5a11bb69c9ce0
- Affected versionversion=59ebbe40fb51e307032ae7f63b2749fad2d4635a <445fb9c19cf45bd9472fd9babaa31c5e6c7d2720
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
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
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
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo