CVE-2022-50376
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's orangefs module. When inserting or removing the orangefs module, dynamically allocated memory isn't properly freed, causing kernel memory leaks. This affects systems using the orangefs filesystem module.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with orangefs module
📦 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Sustained memory exhaustion leading to kernel instability, system crashes, or denial of service through resource depletion.
Likely Case
Gradual memory consumption over time when orangefs module is loaded/unloaded repeatedly, potentially causing performance degradation.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact as memory leaks are slow and require repeated module operations to accumulate significant memory loss.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires root privileges to load/unload kernel modules. Memory leak is slow and requires repeated operations.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Linux kernel with commits 0cd303aad220fafa595e0ed593e99aa51b90412b or other listed fixes
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0cd303aad220fafa595e0ed593e99aa51b90412b
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to patched version. 2. Reboot system. 3. Verify orangefs module loads without memory leaks.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable orangefs module
allPrevent loading of vulnerable orangefs module
echo 'blacklist orangefs' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod orangefs
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Avoid loading/unloading orangefs module
- Monitor system memory usage for unusual patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if orangefs module is loaded: lsmod | grep orangefs. If loaded and kernel version is unpatched, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Check kernel version includes fix commits or test memory usage after module operations with tools like kmemleak.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel logs showing memory allocation failures
- System logs showing high memory usage
Network Indicators:
- None - local vulnerability only
SIEM Query:
Search for kernel panic logs or memory allocation failure messages in system logs🔗 References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0cd303aad220fafa595e0ed593e99aa51b90412b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/31720a2b109b3080eb77e97b8f6f50a27b4ae599
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/786e5296f9e3b045d5ff9098514ce7b8ba1d890d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a076490b0211990ec6764328c22cb744dd782bd9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bdc2d33fa2324b1f5ab5b701cda45ee0b2384409
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c8853267289c55b1acbe4dc3641374887584834d
