Kernel memory leak via orphaned io_wqe allocation
Published Dec 9, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026
Memory leak in Linux kernel 5.14 through 6.0.3 allows local users to consume kernel heap memory via io_uring_setup worker creation. In io_wq_create, CPU-mask allocation failure leaves the current node's io_wqe allocation outside the wqes array, so the error path never frees it. Reachability requires a local io_uring_setup call and a CPU-mask allocation failure; the documented result is a 1,024-byte leaked kernel object, not code execution.
Summary
What happened
Memory leak in Linux kernel 5.14 through 6.0.3 allows local users to consume kernel heap memory via io_uring_setup worker creation. In io_wq_create, CPU-mask allocation failure leaves the current node's io_wqe allocation outside the wqes array, so the error path never frees it. Reachability requires a local io_uring_setup call and a CPU-mask allocation failure; the documented result is a 1,024-byte leaked kernel object, not code execution.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-50639
- Published
- Dec 9, 2025
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 9, 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
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0e03496d1967abf1ebb151a24318c07d07f41f7f <996d3efeb091c503afd3ee6b5e20eabf446fd955
- Affected versionversion=0e03496d1967abf1ebb151a24318c07d07f41f7f <b6e2c54be37d5eb4f6666e6aa59cd0581c7ffc3c
- Affected versionversion=0e03496d1967abf1ebb151a24318c07d07f41f7f <ed981911a7c90a604f4a2bee908ab07e3b786aca
- Affected versionversion=5.14
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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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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