Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: blk-iolatency: Fix memory...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
blk-iolatency: Fix memory leak on add_disk() failures
When a gendisk is successfully initialized but add_disk() fails such as when
a loop device has invalid number of minor device numbers specified,
blkcg_init_disk() is called during init and then blkcg_exit_disk() during
error handling. Unfortunately, iolatency gets initialized in the former but
doesn't get cleaned up in the latter.
This is because, in non-error cases, the cleanup is performed by
del_gendisk() calling rq_qos_exit(), the assumption being that rq_qos
policies, iolatency being one of them, can only be activated once the disk
is fully registered and visible. That assumption is true for wbt and iocost,
but not so for iolatency as it gets initialized before add_disk() is called.
It is desirable to lazy-init rq_qos policies because they are optional
features and add to hot path overhead once initialized - each IO has to walk
all the registered rq_qos policies. So, we want to switch iolatency to lazy
init too. However, that's a bigger change. As a fix for the immediate
problem, let's just add an extra call to rq_qos_exit() in blkcg_exit_disk().
This is safe because duplicate calls to rq_qos_exit() become noop's.
Impact
CVE-2022-50550 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). 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-2022-50550? CVE-2022-50550 is a medium-severity security vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet.
- How severe is CVE-2022-50550? CVE-2022-50550 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). 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-2022-50550? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2022-50550 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2022-50550 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-50550 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-2022-50550 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.