CVE-2022-50095 — linux / linux_kernel
Use After FreeIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
posix-cpu-timers: Cleanup CPU timers before freeing them during exec
Commit 55e8c8eb2c7b ("posix-cpu-timers: Store a reference to a pid not a task") started looking up tasks by PID when deleting a CPU timer.
When a non-leader thread calls execve, it will switch PIDs with the leader process. Then, as it calls exit_itimers, posix_cpu_timer_del cannot find the task because the timer still points out to the old PID.
That means that armed timers won't be disarmed, that is, they won't be removed from the timerqueue_list. exit_itimers will still release their memory, and when that list is later processed, it leads to a use-after-free.
Clean up the timers from the de-threaded task before freeing them. This prevents a reported use-after-free.
| Software | From | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| linux / linux_kernel | 5.7 | 5.10.137 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 5.11 | 5.15.61 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 5.16 | 5.18.18 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 5.19 | 5.19.2 |
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/541840859ace9c2ccebc32fa9e376c7bd3def490
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9e255ed238fc67058df87b0388ad6d4b2ef3a2bd
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b2fc1723eb65abb83e00d5f011de670296af0b28
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e362359ace6f87c201531872486ff295df306d13
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e8cb6e8fd9890780f1bfcf5592889e1b879e779c
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A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.
CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.
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