CVE-2022-50082 – A race condition vulnerability in the Linux ker... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2022-50082?

CVE-2022-50082 has a CVSS score of 7.0 (HIGH). A race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ext4 filesystem allows concurrent bmap and write operations to trigger a kernel warning or potential denial of service. This affects Linux systems using ext4 filesystem with inline data enabled. The vulnerability requires local access to exploit.

📋 TL;DR

A race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ext4 filesystem allows concurrent bmap and write operations to trigger a kernel warning or potential denial of service. This affects Linux systems using ext4 filesystem with inline data enabled. The vulnerability requires local access to exploit.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel

Versions: Specific kernel versions between initial introduction of the bug and the fix (exact versions depend on distribution backports)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires ext4 filesystem with inline data feature. Most modern Linux distributions use ext4 by default.

📦 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 →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Kernel panic or system crash leading to denial of service, potentially causing data corruption or system instability.

🟠

Likely Case

Kernel warning messages in system logs and potential application crashes, but unlikely to lead to privilege escalation or remote compromise.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minor performance impact from kernel warnings, no security breach if proper access controls are in place.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access to the system, cannot be exploited remotely.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or processes could trigger the condition, potentially causing system instability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: NO

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires precise timing of concurrent bmap and write operations. No known weaponized exploits in the wild.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions with commits 30dfb75e1f8645404a536c74d468d498adcd4e74 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/30dfb75e1f8645404a536c74d468d498adcd4e74

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution's repositories. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify kernel version matches patched release.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable ext4 inline data feature

linux

Prevents the race condition by disabling the inline data feature that triggers the bug

tune2fs -O ^inline_data /dev/[device]
mount -o remount /[mountpoint]

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict local user access to minimize potential for exploitation
Monitor system logs for kernel warnings related to ext4_iomap_begin

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and if ext4 filesystem with inline data is in use: 'uname -r' and 'tune2fs -l /dev/[device] | grep features'

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version is patched: 'uname -r' should match patched version from your distribution

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel warning messages containing 'ext4_iomap_begin' or 'WARNING: CPU:'
System logs showing ext4 filesystem errors

Network Indicators:

None - local vulnerability only

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND "ext4_iomap_begin" OR "WARNING.*ext4"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2022-50082

CVSS v3 Score: 7.0 (HIGH)

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

CWE: CWE-362

EPSS Score: 0.04% exploit probability (12.2th percentile)

Published: June 18, 2025

Last Updated: November 18, 2025

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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