CVE-2022-50293
📋 TL;DR
A memory handling vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Btrfs filesystem could cause a kernel panic when the system runs out of memory during certain filesystem operations. This affects Linux systems using Btrfs filesystem. The vulnerability allows denial of service through system crashes.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel
📦 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system crash and kernel panic requiring reboot, potentially causing data corruption or loss in Btrfs volumes.
Likely Case
System crash when Btrfs operations encounter memory pressure, leading to denial of service.
If Mitigated
Transaction abort with error return instead of crash, maintaining system stability.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires ability to trigger Btrfs operations that could exhaust memory during extent item manipulation.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions with commits 162d053e15fe985f754ef495a96eb3db970c43ed, 1baf3370e2dc5e6bd1368348736189457dab2a27, 50f993da945074b2a069da099a0331b23a0c89a0, or 7fbcb635c8fc927d139f3302babcf1b42c09265c
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/162d053e15fe985f754ef495a96eb3db970c43ed
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to patched version. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify kernel version after reboot.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Avoid Btrfs usage
allUse alternative filesystems like ext4 or XFS instead of Btrfs
Memory pressure management
allMonitor and manage system memory to prevent exhaustion during Btrfs operations
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor system memory usage and implement memory limits
- Restrict Btrfs operations to trusted users only
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and verify if Btrfs is in use: 'uname -r' and 'mount | grep btrfs'Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes the fix commits and test Btrfs operations under memory pressure📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic messages in /var/log/kern.log or dmesg
- Btrfs error messages related to memory allocation
Network Indicators:
- None - local vulnerability only
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("BUG_ON" OR "kernel panic" OR "btrfs" AND "ENOMEM")