Vulnerability in Linux

CVE-2022-50569

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: Update ipcomp_scratches with NULL when freed Currently if ipcomp_alloc_scratches() fails to allocate memory ipcomp_scratches holds obsolete address. So when we try to free the percpu scratches using ipcomp_free_scratches() it tries to vfree non existent vm area. Described below: static void * __percpu *ipcomp_alloc_scratches(void) { ... scratches = alloc_percpu(void *); if (!scratches) return NULL; ipcomp_scratches does not know about this allocation failure. Therefore holding the old obsolete address. ... } So when we free, static void ipcomp_free_scratches(void) { ... scratches = ipcomp_scratches; Assigning obsolete address from ipcomp_scratches if (!scratches) return; for_each_possible_cpu(i) vfree(*per_cpu_ptr(scratches, i)); Trying to free non existent page, causing warning: trying to vfree existent vm area. ... } Fix this breakage by updating ipcomp_scrtches with NULL when scratches is freed

EPSS: 0.002 (14.2th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Affected products

  • Linux — versions 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, 2.6.12, 0

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-50569?
CVE-2022-50569 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2025-10-22.
How severe is CVE-2022-50569?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.