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CVE-2022-49093· NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

skbuff: fix coalescing for page_pool fragment recycling

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: skbuff: fix coalescing for page_pool fragment recycling Fix a use-after-free when using page_pool with page fragments. We encountered this problem during normal RX in the hns3 driver: (1) Initially we have three descriptors in the RX queue. The first one allocates PAGE1 through page_pool, and the other two allocate one half of PAGE2 each. Page references look like this: RX_BD1 _______ PAGE1 RX_BD2 _______ PAGE2 RX_BD3 _________/ (2) Handle RX on the first descriptor. Allocate SKB1, eventually added to the receive queue by tcp_queue_rcv(). (3) Handle RX on the second descriptor. Allocate SKB2 and pass it to netif_receive_skb(): netif_receive_skb(SKB2) ip_rcv(SKB2) SKB3 = skb_clone(SKB2) SKB2 and SKB3 share a reference to PAGE2 through skb_shinfo()->dataref. The other ref to PAGE2 is still held by RX_BD3: SKB2 ---+- PAGE2 SKB3 __/ / RX_BD3 _________/ (3b) Now while handling TCP, coalesce SKB3 with SKB1: tcp_v4_rcv(SKB3) tcp_try_coalesce(to=SKB1, from=SKB3) // succeeds kfree_skb_partial(SKB3) skb_release_data(SKB3) // drops one dataref SKB1 _____ PAGE1 \____ SKB2 _____ PAGE2 / RX_BD3 _________/ In skb_try_coalesce(), __skb_frag_ref() takes a page reference to PAGE2, where it should instead have increased the page_pool frag reference, pp_frag_count. Without coalescing, when releasing both SKB2 and SKB3, a single reference to PAGE2 would be dropped. Now when releasing SKB1 and SKB2, two references to PAGE2 will be dropped, resulting in underflow. (3c) Drop SKB2: af_packet_rcv(SKB2) consume_skb(SKB2) skb_release_data(SKB2) // drops second dataref page_pool_return_skb_page(PAGE2) // drops one pp_frag_count SKB1 _____ PAGE1 \____ PAGE2 / RX_BD3 _________/ (4) Userspace calls recvmsg() Copies SKB1 and releases it. Since SKB3 was coalesced with SKB1, we release the SKB3 page as well: tcp_eat_recv_skb(SKB1) skb_release_data(SKB1) page_pool_return_skb_page(PAGE1) page_pool_return_skb_page(PAGE2) // drops second pp_frag_count (5) PAGE2 is freed, but the third RX descriptor was still using it! In our case this causes IOMMU faults, but it would silently corrupt memory if the IOMMU was disabled. Change the logic that checks whether pp_recycle SKBs can be coalesced. We still reject differing pp_recycle between 'from' and 'to' SKBs, but in order to avoid the situation described above, we also reject coalescing when both 'from' and 'to' are pp_recycled and 'from' is cloned. The new logic allows coalescing a cloned pp_recycle SKB into a page refcounted one, because in this case the release (4) will drop the right reference, the one taken by skb_try_coalesce().

CriticalCVSS 9.8 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Feb 26, 2025
Updated
Aug 5, 2026
EPSS
0.6% · 49th percentile
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JSON

Action score

39

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
39 / 40 · 9.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.6%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · Linux
9.8
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Noroxi analysis

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Affected systems

VendorProduct
linuxlinux kernel

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • linux linux kernel5.15 and later · before 5.15.34
  • linux linux kernel5.16 and later · before 5.16.20
  • linux linux kernel5.17 and later · before 5.17.3
  • linux linux kernel5.18

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Linux). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Linux Linux

    • 5.15affected
    • 53e0961da1c7bbdabd1abebb20de403ec237ec09 and later · before ba965e8605aee5387cecaa28fcf7ee9f61779a49affected · git
    • 53e0961da1c7bbdabd1abebb20de403ec237ec09 and later · before c4fa19615806a9a7e518c295b39175aa47a685acaffected · git
    • 53e0961da1c7bbdabd1abebb20de403ec237ec09 and later · before 72bb856d16e883437023ff2ff77d0c498018728aaffected · git
    • 53e0961da1c7bbdabd1abebb20de403ec237ec09 and later · before 1effe8ca4e34c34cdd9318436a4232dcb582ebf4affected · git
    • before 5.15not affected · semver
    • 5.15.34 and later · up to and including 5.15.*not affected · semver
    • 5.16.20 and later · up to and including 5.16.*not affected · semver
    • 5.17.3 and later · up to and including 5.17.*not affected · semver
    • 5.18 and laternot affected · original_commit_for_fix

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12linuxbefore 5.17.3-15.17.3-1

Same product

linux: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2022-0847A flaw was found in the way the "flags" member of the new pipe buffer structure was lacking proper initialization in copy_page_to_iter_pipe KEV
    89Now
  • CVE-2021-22555Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACEKEV
    85Now
  • CVE-2016-5195Race condition in mm/gup.c in the Linux kernel 2.x through 4.x before 4.8.3 allows local users to gain privileges by leveraging incorrect haKEV
    83Now
  • CVE-2019-13272In the Linux kernel before 5.1.17, ptrace_link in kernel/ptrace.c mishandles the recording of the credentials of a process that wants to creKEV
    77This week
  • CVE-2013-6282The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the v6k and v7 ARM platforms do not validate certain addKEV
    77This week
  • CVE-2013-2094The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9 uses an incorrect integer data type, which allows loKEV
    77This week

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Linux Linux1effe8ca4e34c34cdd9318436a4232dcb582ebf4Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux72bb856d16e883437023ff2ff77d0c498018728aVendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxba965e8605aee5387cecaa28fcf7ee9f61779a49Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxc4fa19615806a9a7e518c295b39175aa47a685acVendor (CNA)
debian:linux5.17.3-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-416 · Use After Free

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-secondary

Root cause

After a memory region is freed, another reference pointing to it is still used. By then, the same region may have been allocated for different data.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-416 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

c
free(dev->buf);/* ... another thread is still running ... */process(dev->buf);

Fixed

c
lock(&dev->lock);free(dev->buf);dev->buf = NULL;unlock(&dev->lock);

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records