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CVE-2022-49016· NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

net: mdiobus: fix unbalanced node reference count

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 22/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.24% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: Linux Linux 2708b357440427d6a9fee667eb7b8307f4625adc, 543d917f691ab06885ee779c862065899eaa4251, cdde1560118f82498fc9e9a7c1ef7f0ef7755891.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 2708b357440427d6a9fee667eb7b8307f4625adc, 543d917f691ab06885ee779c862065899eaa4251, cdde1560118f82498fc9e9a7c1ef7f0ef7755891 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: mdiobus: fix unbalanced node reference count I got the following report while doing device(mscc-miim) load test with CONFIG_OF_UNITTEST and CONFIG_OF_DYNAMIC enabled: OF: ERROR: memory leak, expected refcount 1 instead of 2, of_node_get()/of_node_put() unbalanced - destroy cset entry: attach overlay node /spi/soc@0/mdio@7107009c/ethernet-phy@0 If the 'fwnode' is not an acpi node, the refcount is get in fwnode_mdiobus_phy_device_register(), but it has never been put when the device is freed in the normal path. So call fwnode_handle_put() in phy_device_release() to avoid leak. If it's an acpi node, it has never been get, but it's put in the error path, so call fwnode_handle_get() before phy_device_register() to keep get/put operation balanced.

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Oct 21, 2024
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
0.2% · 14th percentile

Report tools

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Action score

22

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
22 / 40 · 5.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.2%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

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When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

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 kernel5.14 and later · before 5.15.82
  • linux linux kernel5.16 and later · before 6.0.12
  • linux linux kernel6.1

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

    • 5.14affected
    • bc1bee3b87ee48bd97ef7fd306445132ba2041b0 and later · before 543d917f691ab06885ee779c862065899eaa4251affected · git
    • bc1bee3b87ee48bd97ef7fd306445132ba2041b0 and later · before 2708b357440427d6a9fee667eb7b8307f4625adcaffected · git
    • bc1bee3b87ee48bd97ef7fd306445132ba2041b0 and later · before cdde1560118f82498fc9e9a7c1ef7f0ef7755891affected · git
    • before 5.14not affected · semver
    • 5.15.82 and later · up to and including 5.15.*not affected · semver
    • 6.0.12 and later · up to and including 6.0.*not affected · semver
    • 6.1 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 6.0.12-16.0.12-1

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

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2022-49014Oct 21, 2024 · net: tun: Fix use-after-free in tun_detach()
    31Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2022-49015Oct 21, 2024 · net: hsr: Fix potential use-after-free
    31Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2022-49017Oct 21, 2024 · tipc: re-fetch skb cb after tipc_msg_validate
    31Monitor

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 Linux2708b357440427d6a9fee667eb7b8307f4625adcVendor (CNA)
Linux Linux543d917f691ab06885ee779c862065899eaa4251Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxcdde1560118f82498fc9e9a7c1ef7f0ef7755891Vendor (CNA)
debian:linux6.0.12-1 · 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

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
none
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-401 · Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime

CVSS vector

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

nvd-primary

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

Show all references (2 more)

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

All records