CVE-2022-50025 – This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2022-50025?

CVE-2022-50025 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Compute Express Link (CXL) subsystem. When the afu_allocate_irqs() function fails during interrupt allocation, it doesn't properly free allocated bitmap memory, potentially leading to kernel memory exhaustion. This affects systems with CXL hardware support enabled in the kernel.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Compute Express Link (CXL) subsystem. When the afu_allocate_irqs() function fails during interrupt allocation, it doesn't properly free allocated bitmap memory, potentially leading to kernel memory exhaustion. This affects systems with CXL hardware support enabled in the kernel.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel

Versions: Kernel versions with CXL support before the fix commits

Operating Systems: Linux distributions with vulnerable kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ✅ No

Notes: Only vulnerable if CXL subsystem is enabled and used. Most systems without CXL hardware won't be affected.

📦 What is this software?

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Sustained exploitation could cause kernel memory exhaustion leading to system instability, denial of service, or kernel panic.

🟠

Likely Case

Local attackers could trigger the error path repeatedly to cause memory pressure and potential denial of service.

🟢

If Mitigated

With proper memory limits and monitoring, impact would be limited to potential performance degradation.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access to trigger the vulnerable code path.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or processes could exploit this to cause system instability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: NO

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires local access and ability to trigger the specific error path in CXL interrupt allocation.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions containing commits 3a15b45b5454da862376b5d69a4967f5c6fa1368 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3a15b45b5454da862376b5d69a4967f5c6fa1368

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution vendor. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify kernel version after reboot.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable CXL subsystem

linux

Remove CXL module support if not needed

modprobe -r cxl
echo 'blacklist cxl' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Monitor system memory usage for unusual patterns
Restrict local user access to systems with CXL hardware

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and if CXL modules are loaded: 'uname -r' and 'lsmod | grep cxl'

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version is patched and test CXL functionality if required

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel oops messages
Memory allocation failures in dmesg
CXL-related error messages

Network Indicators:

None - local vulnerability only

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("CXL" OR "memory allocation failure" OR "kernel panic")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2022-50025

CVSS v3 Score: 5.5 (MEDIUM)

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

CWE: CWE-401

EPSS Score: 0.02% exploit probability (3.5th percentile)

Published: June 18, 2025

Last Updated: November 13, 2025

🔗 References

📤 Share & Export

📄 Export Markdown 📋 Export JSON

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

If you're affected by CVE-2022-50025, you might also want to check these: