CVE-2022-50484 – This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2022-50484?

CVE-2022-50484 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ALSA USB audio driver. When the driver fails to allocate memory for USB Request Blocks (URBs) during sync endpoint initialization, it doesn't properly clean up partially allocated resources, leading to kernel memory exhaustion. This affects Linux systems with USB audio devices.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ALSA USB audio driver. When the driver fails to allocate memory for USB Request Blocks (URBs) during sync endpoint initialization, it doesn't properly clean up partially allocated resources, leading to kernel memory exhaustion. This affects Linux systems with USB audio devices.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel

Versions: Kernel versions with the vulnerable ALSA USB audio driver code (specific affected versions not explicitly stated in CVE, but patches available for stable branches)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires USB audio device support to be enabled/used. The vulnerability is triggered during USB audio device initialization when memory allocation fails.

📦 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...

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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

An attacker could trigger repeated memory allocation failures leading to kernel memory exhaustion, causing system instability, denial of service, or potential kernel panic/crash.

🟠

Likely Case

System instability or denial of service on affected Linux systems when USB audio devices are connected and experience memory allocation failures.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact with proper memory management and system monitoring in place.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This requires local access or USB device interaction, not directly exploitable over network.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Requires physical or local access to trigger via USB audio devices, but could affect system stability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: NO

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires triggering memory allocation failures during USB audio device initialization, which typically requires local access or physical USB device manipulation.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Patched in Linux kernel stable releases via the provided git commits

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0604e5e5537af099ea2f6dfd892afe5c92db8a80

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to a patched version containing the fix commits. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. For distributions: Use package manager (apt/yum/dnf) to update kernel package.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable USB audio support

linux

Prevent USB audio devices from being initialized by disabling USB audio driver

echo 'blacklist snd-usb-audio' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod snd-usb-audio

Limit USB device connections

linux

Restrict USB device connections to prevent triggering the vulnerability

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Monitor system memory usage and kernel logs for memory allocation failures
Restrict physical access to USB ports and avoid connecting untrusted USB audio devices

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and verify if it contains the vulnerable ALSA USB audio driver code. Use 'uname -r' and compare with patched kernel versions.

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version is updated to include the fix commits. Check dmesg/logs for USB audio initialization errors.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel OOM (Out of Memory) messages
USB audio driver initialization failures
Memory allocation error messages in dmesg

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("snd-usb-audio" OR "ALSA" OR "USB audio") AND ("ENOMEM" OR "memory" OR "allocation failed")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2022-50484

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 (5.1th percentile)

Published: October 4, 2025

Last Updated: January 23, 2026

🔗 References

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