CVE-2022-49513: cpufreq: governor: Use kobject release() method to free dbs_data
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: 0.26% (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 1e32083f327184b6226ce320ef30085ce785ea4e, a1964688582d26af1328e19b658933659fb54337, a85ee6401a47ae3fc64ba506cacb3e7873823c65.
Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 1e32083f327184b6226ce320ef30085ce785ea4e, a1964688582d26af1328e19b658933659fb54337, a85ee6401a47ae3fc64ba506cacb3e7873823c65 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: cpufreq: governor: Use kobject release() method to free dbs_data The struct dbs_data embeds a struct gov_attr_set and the struct gov_attr_set embeds a kobject. Since every kobject must have a release() method and we can't use kfree() to free it directly, so introduce cpufreq_dbs_data_release() to release the dbs_data via the kobject::release() method. This fixes the calltrace like below: ODEBUG: free active (active state 0) object type: timer_list hint: delayed_work_timer_fn+0x0/0x34 WARNING: CPU: 12 PID: 810 at lib/debugobjects.c:505 debug_print_object+0xb8/0x100 Modules linked in: CPU: 12 PID: 810 Comm: sh Not tainted 5.16.0-next-20220120-yocto-standard+ #536 Hardware name: Marvell OcteonTX CN96XX board (DT) pstate: 60400009 (nZCv daif +PAN -UAO -TCO -DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--) pc : debug_print_object+0xb8/0x100 lr : debug_print_object+0xb8/0x100 sp : ffff80001dfcf9a0 x29: ffff80001dfcf9a0 x28: 0000000000000001 x27: ffff0001464f0000 x26: 0000000000000000 x25: ffff8000090e3f00 x24: ffff80000af60210 x23: ffff8000094dfb78 x22: ffff8000090e3f00 x21: ffff0001080b7118 x20: ffff80000aeb2430 x19: ffff800009e8f5e0 x18: 0000000000000000 x17: 0000000000000002 x16: 00004d62e58be040 x15: 013590470523aff8 x14: ffff8000090e1828 x13: 0000000001359047 x12: 00000000f5257d14 x11: 0000000000040591 x10: 0000000066c1ffea x9 : ffff8000080d15e0 x8 : ffff80000a1765a8 x7 : 0000000000000000 x6 : 0000000000000001 x5 : ffff800009e8c000 x4 : ffff800009e8c760 x3 : 0000000000000000 x2 : 0000000000000000 x1 : 0000000000000000 x0 : ffff0001474ed040 Call trace: debug_print_object+0xb8/0x100 __debug_check_no_obj_freed+0x1d0/0x25c debug_check_no_obj_freed+0x24/0xa0 kfree+0x11c/0x440 cpufreq_dbs_governor_exit+0xa8/0xac cpufreq_exit_governor+0x44/0x90 cpufreq_set_policy+0x29c/0x570 store_scaling_governor+0x110/0x154 store+0xb0/0xe0 sysfs_kf_write+0x58/0x84 kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x12c/0x1c0 new_sync_write+0xf0/0x18c vfs_write+0x1cc/0x220 ksys_write+0x74/0x100 __arm64_sys_write+0x28/0x3c invoke_syscall.constprop.0+0x58/0xf0 do_el0_svc+0x70/0x170 el0_svc+0x54/0x190 el0t_64_sync_handler+0xa4/0x130 el0t_64_sync+0x1a0/0x1a4 irq event stamp: 189006 hardirqs last enabled at (189005): [<ffff8000080849d0>] finish_task_switch.isra.0+0xe0/0x2c0 hardirqs last disabled at (189006): [<ffff8000090667a4>] el1_dbg+0x24/0xa0 softirqs last enabled at (188966): [<ffff8000080106d0>] __do_softirq+0x4b0/0x6a0 softirqs last disabled at (188957): [<ffff80000804a618>] __irq_exit_rcu+0x108/0x1a4 [ rjw: Because can be freed by the gov_attr_set_put() in cpufreq_dbs_governor_exit() now, it is also necessary to put the invocation of the governor ->exit() callback into the new cpufreq_dbs_data_release() function. ]
- Published
- Feb 26, 2025
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.2% · 18th percentile
- CWE
- —
Report tools
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%
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
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
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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.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected 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.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| linux | linux kernel | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- linux linux kernel4.6 and later · before 5.15.91
- linux linux kernel5.16 and later · before 5.18.3
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
- 4.6affected
- c4435630361d9bebf7154a0c842dc1fb7ae39c99 and later · before a1964688582d26af1328e19b658933659fb54337affected · git
- c4435630361d9bebf7154a0c842dc1fb7ae39c99 and later · before 1e32083f327184b6226ce320ef30085ce785ea4eaffected · git
- c4435630361d9bebf7154a0c842dc1fb7ae39c99 and later · before a85ee6401a47ae3fc64ba506cacb3e7873823c65affected · git
- before 4.6not affected · semver
- 5.15.91 and later · up to and including 5.15.*not affected · semver
- 5.18.3 and later · up to and including 5.18.*not affected · semver
- 5.19 and laternot affected · original_commit_for_fix
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | linux | before 5.18.5-1 | 5.18.5-1 |
Same product
linux: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2026-31431crypto: algif_aead - Revert to operating out-of-placeKEV90Now
- 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 KEV89Now
- CVE-2021-22555Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACEKEV85Now
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2022-49511Feb 26, 2025 · fbdev: defio: fix the pagelist corruption22Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2022-49512Feb 26, 2025 · mtd: rawnand: denali: Use managed device resources22Monitor
- Later →CVE-2022-49514Feb 26, 2025 · ASoC: mediatek: Fix error handling in mt8173_max98090_dev_probe22Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Linux Linux | 1e32083f327184b6226ce320ef30085ce785ea4e | Vendor (CNA) |
| Linux Linux | a1964688582d26af1328e19b658933659fb54337 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Linux Linux | a85ee6401a47ae3fc64ba506cacb3e7873823c65 | Vendor (CNA) |
| debian:linux | 5.18.5-1 · Debian:12 | Package 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.
No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).
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 researchersFinders, 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)
—
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
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Show all references (2 more)Show less
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.