CVE-2022-50512

Local service interruption via lost allocation pointer

Published Oct 7, 2025 · Updated Oct 7, 2025

Memory leak in the Linux kernel ext4 subsystem allows local users to consume kernel memory by triggering fast-commit region growth. ext4_fc_record_regions() overwrites state->fc_regions with krealloc()'s NULL return, losing the only pointer to the prior allocation instead of preserving it for release. Repeated allocation failures exhaust kernel memory and interrupt service; local access and ext4 fast-commit activity are required.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.15%
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 the Linux kernel ext4 subsystem allows local users to consume kernel memory by triggering fast-commit region growth. ext4_fc_record_regions() overwrites state->fc_regions with krealloc()'s NULL return, losing the only pointer to the prior allocation instead of preserving it for release. Repeated allocation failures exhaust kernel memory and interrupt service; local access and ext4 fast-commit activity are required.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-50512
Published
Oct 7, 2025
Updated
Oct 7, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-401, T1499.001
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 7, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 7, 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?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <2cfb769d60a2a57eb3566765428b6131cd16dcfe
  2. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <417b0455a0b6d0f60a2930592731d1f8340e24be
  3. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <518566e71ad86b7c2f1bf6d9caee9588bb7ac158
  4. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <7069d105c1f15c442b68af43f7fde784f3126739
  5. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <a4058b869e6c5e517c79e30532a350d0f3115c3e

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <2cfb769d60a2a57eb3566765428b6131cd16dcfe; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <417b0455a0b6d0f60a2930592731d1f8340e24be; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <518566e71ad86b7c2f1bf6d9caee9588bb7ac158; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <7069d105c1f15c442b68af43f7fde784f3126739; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <a4058b869e6c5e517c79e30532a350d0f3115c3e

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

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
T1499.001OS Exhaustion Flood

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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