CVE-2022-50281 – This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2022-50281?

CVE-2022-50281 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's MIPS SGI-IP27 platform driver. When the bridge_platform_create() function fails during device registration, it doesn't properly release allocated platform device resources, causing kernel memory exhaustion over time. This affects systems running Linux kernels with MIPS SGI-IP27 support.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's MIPS SGI-IP27 platform driver. When the bridge_platform_create() function fails during device registration, it doesn't properly release allocated platform device resources, causing kernel memory exhaustion over time. This affects systems running Linux kernels with MIPS SGI-IP27 support.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel

Versions: Specific kernel versions with the vulnerable code (check git commits for exact ranges)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions with MIPS SGI-IP27 architecture support

Default Config Vulnerable: ✅ No

Notes: Only vulnerable on MIPS SGI-IP27 systems (SGI Origin/Onyx servers). Most Linux systems are not 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 →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Repeated exploitation could lead to kernel memory exhaustion, causing system instability, denial of service, or potential kernel panic/crash.

🟠

Likely Case

Memory leak gradually consumes kernel resources, potentially leading to system performance degradation or instability over time.

🟢

If Mitigated

With proper monitoring and memory limits, impact is limited to potential performance issues rather than complete system failure.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This requires local access or kernel-level execution, not directly exploitable over network.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or processes could potentially trigger the vulnerable code path, but requires specific hardware/platform conditions.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires local access and ability to trigger the specific error condition in bridge_platform_create(). Not trivial to exploit.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions containing the git commits referenced in CVE description

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/11bec9cba4de06b3c0e9e4041453c2caaa1cbec1

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update to patched kernel version from your distribution vendor. 2. For custom kernels, apply the git commits referenced in CVE. 3. Reboot system after kernel update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable SGI-IP27 bridge support

linux

If not using SGI Origin/Onyx hardware, disable the affected kernel module

modprobe -r sgi_w1
echo 'blacklist sgi_w1' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement kernel memory monitoring to detect abnormal memory consumption
Restrict local user access to systems with vulnerable hardware

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and architecture: 'uname -r' and 'uname -m'. If MIPS architecture and kernel version matches affected range, system may be vulnerable.

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version is updated beyond vulnerable versions and check that memory leak doesn't occur during bridge device operations.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel oom-killer messages
Memory allocation failures in kernel logs
System instability after bridge device operations

Network Indicators:

None - this is a local kernel vulnerability

SIEM Query:

Search for kernel panic logs, memory allocation failures, or system crash events on MIPS SGI-IP27 systems

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2022-50281

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: 0.01% exploit probability (1.1th percentile)

Published: September 15, 2025

Last Updated: December 4, 2025

🔗 References

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