Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: kernfs: fix use-after-free...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
kernfs: fix use-after-free in __kernfs_remove
Syzkaller managed to trigger concurrent calls to
kernfs_remove_by_name_ns() for the same file resulting in
a KASAN detected use-after-free. The race occurs when the root
node is freed during kernfs_drain().
To prevent this acquire an additional reference for the root
of the tree that is removed before calling __kernfs_remove().
Found by syzkaller with the following reproducer (slab_nomerge is
required):
syz_mount_image$ext4(0x0, &(0x7f0000000100)='./file0\x00', 0x100000, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
r0 = openat(0xffffffffffffff9c, &(0x7f0000000080)='/proc/self/exe\x00', 0x0, 0x0)
close(r0)
pipe2(&(0x7f0000000140)={0xffffffffffffffff, <r1=>0xffffffffffffffff}, 0x800)
mount$9p_fd(0x0, &(0x7f0000000040)='./file0\x00', &(0x7f00000000c0), 0x408, &(0x7f0000000280)={'trans=fd,', {'rfdno', 0x3d, r0}, 0x2c, {'wfdno', 0x3d, r1}, 0x2c, {[{@cache_loose}, {@mmap}, {@loose}, {@loose}, {@mmap}], [{@mask={'mask', 0x3d, '^MAY_EXEC'}}, {@fsmagic={'fsmagic', 0x3d, 0x10001}}, {@dont_hash}]}})
Sample report:
==================================================================
BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in kernfs_type include/linux/kernfs.h:335 [inline]
BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in kernfs_leftmost_descendant fs/kernfs/dir.c:1261 [inline]
BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in __kernfs_remove.part.0+0x843/0x960 fs/kernfs/dir.c:1369
Read of size 2 at addr ffff8880088807f0 by task syz-executor.2/857
CPU: 0 PID: 857 Comm: syz-executor.2 Not tainted 6.0.0-rc3-00363-g7726d4c3e60b #5
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.15.0-1 04/01/2014
Call Trace:
__dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:88 [inline]
dump_stack_lvl+0x6e/0x91 lib/dump_stack.c:106
print_address_description mm/kasan/report.c:317 [inline]
print_report.cold+0x5e/0x5e5 mm/kasan/report.c:433
kasan_report+0xa3/0x130 mm/kasan/report.c:495
kernfs_type include/linux/kernfs.h:335 [inline]
kernfs_leftmost_descendant fs/kernfs/dir.c:1261 [inline]
__kernfs_remove.part.0+0x843/0x960 fs/kernfs/dir.c:1369
__kernfs_remove fs/kernfs/dir.c:1356 [inline]
kernfs_remove_by_name_ns+0x108/0x190 fs/kernfs/dir.c:1589
sysfs_slab_add+0x133/0x1e0 mm/slub.c:5943
__kmem_cache_create+0x3e0/0x550 mm/slub.c:4899
create_cache mm/slab_common.c:229 [inline]
kmem_cache_create_usercopy+0x167/0x2a0 mm/slab_common.c:335
p9_client_create+0xd4d/0x1190 net/9p/client.c:993
v9fs_session_init+0x1e6/0x13c0 fs/9p/v9fs.c:408
v9fs_mount+0xb9/0xbd0 fs/9p/vfs_super.c:126
legacy_get_tree+0xf1/0x200 fs/fs_context.c:610
vfs_get_tree+0x85/0x2e0 fs/super.c:1530
do_new_mount fs/namespace.c:3040 [inline]
path_mount+0x675/0x1d00 fs/namespace.c:3370
do_mount fs/namespace.c:3383 [inline]
__do_sys_mount fs/namespace.c:3591 [inline]
__se_sys_mount fs/namespace.c:3568 [inline]
__x64_sys_mount+0x282/0x300 fs/namespace.c:3568
do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:50 [inline]
do_syscall_64+0x38/0x90 arch/x86/entry/common.c:80
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd
RIP: 0033:0x7f725f983aed
Code: 02 b8 ff ff ff ff c3 66 0f 1f 44 00 00 f3 0f 1e fa 48 89 f8 48 89 f7 48 89 d6 48 89 ca 4d 89 c2 4d 89 c8 4c 8b 4c 24 08 0f 05 <48> 3d 01 f0 ff ff 73 01 c3 48 c7 c1 b0 ff ff ff f7 d8 64 89 01 48
RSP: 002b:00007f725f0f7028 EFLAGS: 00000246 ORIG_RAX: 00000000000000a5
RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 00007f725faa3f80 RCX: 00007f725f983aed
RDX: 00000000200000c0 RSI: 0000000020000040 RDI: 0000000000000000
RBP: 00007f725f9f419c R08: 0000000020000280 R09: 0000000000000000
R10: 0000000000000408 R11: 0000000000000246 R12: 0000000000000000
R13: 0000000000000006 R14: 00007f725faa3f80 R15: 00007f725f0d7000
Allocated by task 855:
kasan_save_stack+0x1e/0x40 mm/kasan/common.c:38
kasan_set_track mm/kasan/common.c:45 [inline]
set_alloc_info mm/kasan/common.c:437 [inline]
__kasan_slab_alloc+0x66/0x80 mm/kasan/common.c:470
kasan_slab_alloc include/linux/kasan.h:224 [inline]
slab_post_alloc_hook mm/slab.h:7
---truncated---
Impact
Memory is accessed after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior in native code. Typical impact: memory corruption, crash, or potential code execution.
CVE-2022-50432 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (High). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2022-50432? CVE-2022-50432 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet. Memory is accessed after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior in native code.
- How severe is CVE-2022-50432? CVE-2022-50432 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2022-50432? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2022-50432 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2022-50432 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-50432 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2022-50432 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.