CVE-2022-50659
BaseFortify
Publication date: 2025-12-09
Last updated on: 2025-12-09
Assigner: kernel.org
Description
Description
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Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-UNKNOWN |
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AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability involves a reference count leak in the Linux kernel's hwrng: geode driver. The function for_each_pci_dev() uses pci_get_device(), which increases the reference count of a pci_dev object. If the loop is broken early and the pci_dev pointer is not NULL, pci_dev_put() must be called to decrease the reference count. The vulnerability was caused by missing calls to pci_dev_put() in both normal and error paths, leading to a reference count leak. The fix added a new structure to track the pci_dev pointer and ensured pci_dev_put() is called appropriately.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
The reference count leak can lead to resource leaks in the kernel, potentially causing increased memory usage or instability over time. This may degrade system performance or reliability, especially in systems using the affected hwrng: geode driver.