CVE-2022-49873: linux kernel — Fix

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Fix wrong reg type conversion in release_reference() Some helper functions will allocate memory. To avoid memory leaks, the verifier requires the eBPF program to release these memories by calling the corresponding helper functions. When a resource is released, all pointer registers corresponding to the resource should be invalidated. The verifier use release_references() to do this job, by apply __mark_reg_unknown() to each relevant register. It will give these registers the type of SCALAR_VALUE. A register that will contain a pointer value at runtime, but of type SCALAR_VALUE, which may allow the unprivileged user to get a kernel pointer by storing this register into a map. Using __mark_reg_not_init() while NOT allow_ptr_leaks can mitigate this problem.

Is your site exposed to CVE-2022-49873?

Run a free security scan — no signup, results in seconds.

CVSS v3.1 Score

5.5

MEDIUM

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

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-704 CWE-704

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
linux	linux_kernel	4.20 — 5.10.155
linux	linux_kernel	5.11 — 5.15.79
linux	linux_kernel	5.16 — 6.0.9
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All

References

Advisories & Patches

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/466ce46f251dfb259a8cbaa895ab9edd6fb56240 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ae5ccad6c711db0f2ca1231be051935dd128b8f5 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cedd4f01f67be94735f15123158f485028571037 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f1db20814af532f85e091231223e5e4818e8464b

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-49873? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Fix wrong reg type conversion in release_reference() Some helper functions will allocate memory. To avoid memory leaks, the verifier requires the eBPF program to release these memories by calling the corresponding helper functions. When a resource is released, all pointer registers corresponding to the resource should be invalidated. The verifier use release_references() to do this job, by apply __mark_reg_unknown() to each relevant register. It will give these registers the type of SCALAR_VALUE. A register that will contain a pointer value at runtime, but of type SCALAR_VALUE, which may allow the unprivileged user to get a kernel pointer by storing this register into a map. Using __mark_reg_not_init() while NOT allow_ptr_leaks can mitigate this problem. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2022-49873? +

CVE-2022-49873 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance.

What products are affected by CVE-2022-49873? +

CVE-2022-49873 affects products from linux, specifically: linux_kernel. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2022-49873? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

Related Vulnerabilities

CVE-2025-54429

Polkadot Frontier is an Ethereum and EVM compatibility layer for Polkadot and Substrate. There are various account address types in …

CVE-2010-20115

Arcane Software’s Vermillion FTP Daemon (vftpd) versions up to and including 1.31 contains a memory corruption vulnerability triggered by a …

CVE-2025-41648 9.8

An unauthenticated remote attacker can bypass the login to the web application of the affected devices making it possible to …

CVE-2025-41646 9.8

An unauthorized remote attacker can bypass the authentication of the affected software package by misusing an incorrect type conversion. This …

CVE-2024-5436 9.8

Type confusion in Snapchat LensCore could lead to denial of service or arbitrary code execution prior to version 12.88. We …

CVE-2025-62494 8.8

A type confusion vulnerability exists in the handling of the string addition (+) operation within the QuickJS engine. * The …

CVE-2022-49873