Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: fix uninititialized...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ext4: fix uninititialized value in 'ext4_evict_inode'
Syzbot found the following issue:BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in ext4_evict_inode+0xdd/0x26b0 fs/ext4/inode.c:180
ext4_evict_inode+0xdd/0x26b0 fs/ext4/inode.c:180
evict+0x365/0x9a0 fs/inode.c:664
iput_final fs/inode.c:1747 [inline]
iput+0x985/0xdd0 fs/inode.c:1773
__ext4_new_inode+0xe54/0x7ec0 fs/ext4/ialloc.c:1361
ext4_mknod+0x376/0x840 fs/ext4/namei.c:2844
vfs_mknod+0x79d/0x830 fs/namei.c:3914
do_mknodat+0x47d/0xaa0
__do_sys_mknodat fs/namei.c:3992 [inline]
__se_sys_mknodat fs/namei.c:3989 [inline]
__ia32_sys_mknodat+0xeb/0x150 fs/namei.c:3989
do_syscall_32_irqs_on arch/x86/entry/common.c:112 [inline]
__do_fast_syscall_32+0xa2/0x100 arch/x86/entry/common.c:178
do_fast_syscall_32+0x33/0x70 arch/x86/entry/common.c:203
do_SYSENTER_32+0x1b/0x20 arch/x86/entry/common.c:246
entry_SYSENTER_compat_after_hwframe+0x70/0x82
Uninit was created at:
__alloc_pages+0x9f1/0xe80 mm/page_alloc.c:5578
alloc_pages+0xaae/0xd80 mm/mempolicy.c:2285
alloc_slab_page mm/slub.c:1794 [inline]
allocate_slab+0x1b5/0x1010 mm/slub.c:1939
new_slab mm/slub.c:1992 [inline]
___slab_alloc+0x10c3/0x2d60 mm/slub.c:3180
__slab_alloc mm/slub.c:3279 [inline]
slab_alloc_node mm/slub.c:3364 [inline]
slab_alloc mm/slub.c:3406 [inline]
__kmem_cache_alloc_lru mm/slub.c:3413 [inline]
kmem_cache_alloc_lru+0x6f3/0xb30 mm/slub.c:3429
alloc_inode_sb include/linux/fs.h:3117 [inline]
ext4_alloc_inode+0x5f/0x860 fs/ext4/super.c:1321
alloc_inode+0x83/0x440 fs/inode.c:259
new_inode_pseudo fs/inode.c:1018 [inline]
new_inode+0x3b/0x430 fs/inode.c:1046
__ext4_new_inode+0x2a7/0x7ec0 fs/ext4/ialloc.c:959
ext4_mkdir+0x4d5/0x1560 fs/ext4/namei.c:2992
vfs_mkdir+0x62a/0x870 fs/namei.c:4035
do_mkdirat+0x466/0x7b0 fs/namei.c:4060
__do_sys_mkdirat fs/namei.c:4075 [inline]
__se_sys_mkdirat fs/namei.c:4073 [inline]
__ia32_sys_mkdirat+0xc4/0x120 fs/namei.c:4073
do_syscall_32_irqs_on arch/x86/entry/common.c:112 [inline]
__do_fast_syscall_32+0xa2/0x100 arch/x86/entry/common.c:178
do_fast_syscall_32+0x33/0x70 arch/x86/entry/common.c:203
do_SYSENTER_32+0x1b/0x20 arch/x86/entry/common.c:246
entry_SYSENTER_compat_after_hwframe+0x70/0x82
Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 10/26/2022
Now, 'ext4_alloc_inode()' didn't init 'ei->i_flags'. If new inode failed
before set 'ei->i_flags' in '__ext4_new_inode()', then do 'iput()'. As after
6bc0d63dad7f commit will access 'ei->i_flags' in 'ext4_evict_inode()' which
will lead to access uninit-value.
To solve above issue just init 'ei->i_flags' in 'ext4_alloc_inode()'.
Impact
CVE-2022-50546 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-2022-50546? CVE-2022-50546 is a high-severity security vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet.
- How severe is CVE-2022-50546? CVE-2022-50546 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-2022-50546? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2022-50546 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2022-50546 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-50546 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-2022-50546 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.