CVE-2022-50466: fs/binfmt_elf: Fix memory leak in load_elf_binary()

Published Oct 1, 2025
·
Updated

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

fs/binfmtelf: Fix memory leak in loadelfbinary()

There is a memory leak reported by kmemleak:

unreferenced object 0xffff88817104ef80 (size 224): comm "xfsadmin", pid 47165, jiffies 4298708825 (age 1333.476s) hex dump (first 32 bytes): 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 60 a8 b3 00 81 88 ff ff a8 10 5a 00 81 88 ff ff .........Z..... backtrace: [<ffffffff819171e1>] allocfile+0x21/0x250 [<ffffffff81918061>] allocemptyfile+0x41/0xf0 [<ffffffff81948cda>] pathopenat+0xea/0x3d30 [<ffffffff8194ec89>] dofilpopen+0x1b9/0x290 [<ffffffff8192660e>] doopenexecat+0xce/0x5b0 [<ffffffff81926b17>] openexec+0x27/0x50 [<ffffffff81a69250>] loadelfbinary+0x510/0x3ed0 [<ffffffff81927759>] bprmexecve+0x599/0x1240 [<ffffffff8192a997>] doexecveatcommon.isra.0+0x4c7/0x680 [<ffffffff8192b078>] x64sysexecve+0x88/0xb0 [<ffffffff83bbf0a5>] dosyscall64+0x35/0x80

If "interpelfex" fails to allocate memory in loadelfbinary(), the program will take the "outfreeph" error handing path, resulting in "interpreter" file resource is not released.

Fix it by adding an error handing path "outfreefile", which will release the file resource when "interpelfex" failed to allocate memory.

Affected Software

6 affected components
Linux Kernel
Linux Linux kernel>=5.7<5.10.153
Linux Linux kernel>=5.11<5.15.77
Linux Linux kernel>=5.16<6.0.7
Linux Linux kernel=6.1-rc1
Linux Linux kernel=6.1-rc2

Event History

Oct 1, 2025
CVE Published
via MITRE·11:45 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·11:45 AM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·12:15 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2022-50466?

CVE-2022-50466 is classified as a medium-severity vulnerability due to a memory leak in the Linux kernel.

2

How do I fix CVE-2022-50466?

To fix CVE-2022-50466, update the Linux kernel to the latest stable version that includes the patch for this vulnerability.

3

What causes CVE-2022-50466?

CVE-2022-50466 is caused by a memory leak during the execution of the load_elf_binary() function in the Linux kernel.

4

Which versions of the Linux kernel are affected by CVE-2022-50466?

CVE-2022-50466 affects specific versions of the Linux kernel that include the vulnerable implementation of the load_elf_binary() function.

5

What impact does CVE-2022-50466 have on system performance?

CVE-2022-50466 can lead to increased memory usage over time, potentially degrading system performance due to the memory leak.

Contact

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