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NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

CVE-2022-49890: capabilities: fix potential memleak on error path from vfs_getxattr_alloc()

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: 0.21% (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 0c3e6288da650d1ec911a259c77bc2d88e498603, 2de8eec8afb75792440b8900a01d52b8f6742fd1, 6bb00eb21c0fbf18e5d3538c9ff0cf63fd0ace85.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 0c3e6288da650d1ec911a259c77bc2d88e498603, 2de8eec8afb75792440b8900a01d52b8f6742fd1, 6bb00eb21c0fbf18e5d3538c9ff0cf63fd0ace85 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: capabilities: fix potential memleak on error path from vfs_getxattr_alloc() In cap_inode_getsecurity(), we will use vfs_getxattr_alloc() to complete the memory allocation of tmpbuf, if we have completed the memory allocation of tmpbuf, but failed to call handler->get(...), there will be a memleak in below logic: |-- ret = (int)vfs_getxattr_alloc(mnt_userns, ...) | /* ^^^ alloc for tmpbuf */ |-- value = krealloc(*xattr_value, error + 1, flags) | /* ^^^ alloc memory */ |-- error = handler->get(handler, ...) | /* error! */ |-- *xattr_value = value | /* xattr_value is &tmpbuf (memory leak!) */ So we will try to free(tmpbuf) after vfs_getxattr_alloc() fails to fix it. [PM: subject line and backtrace tweaks]

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
May 1, 2025
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
0.2% · 12th percentile

Report tools

JSON

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

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2022-49890

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 kernel4.14 and later · before 4.14.299
  • linux linux kernel4.15 and later · before 4.19.265
  • linux linux kernel4.20 and later · before 5.4.224
  • linux linux kernel5.5 and later · before 5.10.154
  • linux linux kernel5.11 and later · before 5.15.78
  • linux linux kernel5.16 and later · before 6.0.8
  • 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

    • 4.14affected
    • 8db6c34f1dbc8e06aa016a9b829b06902c3e1340 and later · before 6bb00eb21c0fbf18e5d3538c9ff0cf63fd0ace85affected · git
    • 8db6c34f1dbc8e06aa016a9b829b06902c3e1340 and later · before 90577bcc01c4188416a47269f8433f70502abe98affected · git
    • 8db6c34f1dbc8e06aa016a9b829b06902c3e1340 and later · before 0c3e6288da650d1ec911a259c77bc2d88e498603affected · git
    • 8db6c34f1dbc8e06aa016a9b829b06902c3e1340 and later · before cdf01c807e974048c43c7fd3ca574f6086a57906affected · git
    • 8db6c34f1dbc8e06aa016a9b829b06902c3e1340 and later · before 2de8eec8afb75792440b8900a01d52b8f6742fd1affected · git
    • 8db6c34f1dbc8e06aa016a9b829b06902c3e1340 and later · before 7480aeff0093d8c54377553ec6b31110bea37b4daffected · git
    • 8db6c34f1dbc8e06aa016a9b829b06902c3e1340 and later · before 8cf0a1bc12870d148ae830a4ba88cfdf0e879ceeaffected · git
    • before 4.14not affected · semver
    • 4.14.299 and later · up to and including 4.14.*not affected · semver

Package-level exposure

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

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12linuxbefore 6.0.8-16.0.8-1

Same product

linux: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-31431crypto: algif_aead - Revert to operating out-of-placeKEV
    90Now
  • 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

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2022-49888May 1, 2025 · arm64: entry: avoid kprobe recursion
    31Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2022-49889May 1, 2025 · ring-buffer: Check for NULL cpu_buffer in ring_buffer_wake_waiters()
    22Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2022-49891May 1, 2025 · tracing: kprobe: Fix memory leak in test_gen_kprobe/kretprobe_cmd()
    22Monitor

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 Linux0c3e6288da650d1ec911a259c77bc2d88e498603Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux2de8eec8afb75792440b8900a01d52b8f6742fd1Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux6bb00eb21c0fbf18e5d3538c9ff0cf63fd0ace85Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux7480aeff0093d8c54377553ec6b31110bea37b4dVendor (CNA)
Linux Linux8cf0a1bc12870d148ae830a4ba88cfdf0e879ceeVendor (CNA)
Linux Linux90577bcc01c4188416a47269f8433f70502abe98Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxcdf01c807e974048c43c7fd3ca574f6086a57906Vendor (CNA)
debian:linux6.0.8-1 · 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.

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 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 (6 more)

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

All records