Kernel crash via Btrfs ENOMEM assertion
Published Sep 15, 2025 · Updated Sep 15, 2025
Reachable assertion in Linux Btrfs before 6.2 allows local users to crash the kernel by exhausting memory during extent removal. btrfs_drop_extents() invokes BUG_ON() when extent-reference updates return ENOMEM instead of aborting the transaction and returning the error. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and a mounted Btrfs filesystem; success interrupts the host without reported data disclosure or modification.
Summary
What happened
Reachable assertion in Linux Btrfs before 6.2 allows local users to crash the kernel by exhausting memory during extent removal. btrfs_drop_extents() invokes BUG_ON() when extent-reference updates return ENOMEM instead of aborting the transaction and returning the error. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and a mounted Btrfs filesystem; success interrupts the host without reported data disclosure or modification.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-50293
- Published
- Sep 15, 2025
- Updated
- Sep 15, 2025
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-617, T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 15, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 15, 2025Record 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=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <162d053e15fe985f754ef495a96eb3db970c43ed
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <1baf3370e2dc5e6bd1368348736189457dab2a27
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <50f993da945074b2a069da099a0331b23a0c89a0
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <7fbcb635c8fc927d139f3302babcf1b42c09265c
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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Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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