CVE-2022-50451
BaseFortify
Publication date: 2025-10-01
Last updated on: 2025-10-02
Assigner: kernel.org
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
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Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| linux | linux_kernel | From 5.15.160 (inc) to 5.16 (inc) |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-UNKNOWN |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability is a memory leak in the Linux kernel's NTFS3 filesystem driver. Specifically, when an error occurs in the ntfs_fill_super() function during mounting, certain memory allocated for mount options is not freed properly, leading to a memory leak. This was detected by syzbot's kmemleak tool and fixed by ensuring the memory is freed on the error path.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
The memory leak can cause the system to consume more memory over time if the error path in ntfs_fill_super() is triggered repeatedly, potentially leading to degraded system performance or instability due to exhausted memory resources.
How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?
This vulnerability can be detected by monitoring for memory leaks related to the ntfs3 filesystem in the Linux kernel. Specifically, using kmemleak detection tools can help identify unreferenced objects as described in the bug report. You can enable and check kmemleak with commands such as: 1. Enable kmemleak (if not already enabled): echo scan > /sys/kernel/debug/kmemleak 2. Check for memory leaks: cat /sys/kernel/debug/kmemleak Look for entries related to ntfs3 or ntfs_fill_super errors indicating memory leaks.
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
The immediate mitigation is to apply the patch that fixes the memory leak in ntfs_fill_super() error path in the Linux kernel. Until the patch is applied, avoid mounting NTFS3 filesystems if possible, or monitor for memory leaks using kmemleak and restart affected services or the system to clear leaked memory.