Kernel memory exhaustion via leaked QuadFS lock
Published Dec 24, 2025 · Updated Dec 24, 2025
Memory leak in the QuadFS clock setup path in Linux allows attackers to exhaust kernel memory when PLL registration fails. st_of_quadfs_setup() allocates lock, but its error path jumps to err_exit without freeing that allocation after st_clk_register_quadfs_pll() returns an error. Reachability requires the ST QuadFS clock driver and a PLL-registration failure during device-tree setup; the documented consequence is unreclaimed kernel memory.
Summary
What happened
Memory leak in the QuadFS clock setup path in Linux allows attackers to exhaust kernel memory when PLL registration fails. st_of_quadfs_setup() allocates lock, but its error path jumps to err_exit without freeing that allocation after st_clk_register_quadfs_pll() returns an error. Reachability requires the ST QuadFS clock driver and a PLL-registration failure during device-tree setup; the documented consequence is unreclaimed kernel memory.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-50776
- Published
- Dec 24, 2025
- Updated
- Dec 24, 2025
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 24, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Dec 24, 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 <081538ae5817631a2b99e8e75cce981060aab29f
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <335ef7546c77e63154d6ea4d603b11274a85900e
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <713ad301c2d49e88fe586b57ebac8f220a98e162
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <adf6a00859d014cecf046dc91f75c0e65a544360
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <be03875007621fcee96e6f9fd7b9e59c8dfcf6fa
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <cfd3ffb36f0d566846163118651d868e607300ba
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <efd025f32fce27a8ada9bcb4731e8a84476e5b3d
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <f0295209de457049a4a5f3e3985528391bd1ab34
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <f4731395d6db850127634197863aede188d8e9de
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
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Public exploit references
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