CVE-2022-50550

Service interruption via failed-disk memory leak

Published Oct 7, 2025 · Updated Oct 7, 2025

Memory leak in blk-iolatency in affected Linux kernel releases allows local users to exhaust memory through failed disk registration. blkcg_init_disk() initializes the iolatency rq_qos policy before add_disk(), but blkcg_exit_disk() omits rq_qos_exit() when registration fails, leaving the allocation live. The path requires a gendisk registration failure, such as an invalid loop-device minor count; repeated triggering consumes kernel memory and interrupts service.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.19%
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 blk-iolatency in affected Linux kernel releases allows local users to exhaust memory through failed disk registration. blkcg_init_disk() initializes the iolatency rq_qos policy before add_disk(), but blkcg_exit_disk() omits rq_qos_exit() when registration fails, leaving the allocation live. The path requires a gendisk registration failure, such as an invalid loop-device minor count; repeated triggering consumes kernel memory and interrupts service.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-50550
Published
Oct 7, 2025
Updated
Oct 7, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-401, T1499.004
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=4.19
  2. Affected versionversion=d70675121546c35feaceebf7ed9caed8716640f3 <215f9437dda09531bcb80605298a24219f01cec5
  3. Affected versionversion=d70675121546c35feaceebf7ed9caed8716640f3 <2a126e1db5553ce4498290df019866952f858954
  4. Affected versionversion=d70675121546c35feaceebf7ed9caed8716640f3 <813e693023ba10da9e75067780f8378465bf27cc

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=4.19; version=d70675121546c35feaceebf7ed9caed8716640f3 <215f9437dda09531bcb80605298a24219f01cec5; version=d70675121546c35feaceebf7ed9caed8716640f3 <2a126e1db5553ce4498290df019866952f858954; version=d70675121546c35feaceebf7ed9caed8716640f3 <813e693023ba10da9e75067780f8378465bf27cc

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.

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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
T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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