MIPS: pgalloc: fix memory leak caused by pgd_free()
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-401.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: MIPS: pgalloc: fix memory leak caused by pgd_free() pgd page is freed by generic implementation pgd_free() since commit f9cb654cb550 ("asm-generic: pgalloc: provide generic pgd_free()"), however, there are scenarios that the system uses more than one page as the pgd table, in such cases the generic implementation pgd_free() won't be applicable anymore. For example, when PAGE_SIZE_4KB is enabled and MIPS_VA_BITS_48 is not enabled in a 64bit system, the macro "PGD_ORDER" will be set as "1", which will cause allocating two pages as the pgd table. Well, at the same time, the generic implementation pgd_free() just free one pgd page, which will result in the memory leak. The memory leak can be easily detected by executing shell command: "while true; do ls > /dev/null; grep MemFree /proc/meminfo; done"
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 5.9 and later | 5.10.110, 5.15.33, 5.16.19, 5.17.2, 5.18 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.9 and later Fixed in 5.10.110, 5.15.33, 5.16.19, 5.17.2, 5.18 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.9 to before 5.10.110; 5.11 to before 5.15.33; 5.16 to before 5.16.19; 5.17 to before 5.17.2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.9 to before 5.10.110; 5.11 to before 5.15.33; 5.16 to before 5.16.19; 5.17 to before 5.17.2 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.110, 5.15.33, 5.16.19, 5.17.2, 5.18
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
Not affected: 5 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2022-49210
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-r3m4-wq9m-7fx4
References
Patch 5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fa3d44424579972cc7c4fac3d9cf227798ebdfa0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d29cda15cab086d82d692de016f7249545d4b6b4
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5a8501d34b261906e4c76ec9da679f2cb4d309ed
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1bf0d78c8cc3cf615a6e7bf33ada70b73592f0a1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2bc5bab9a763d520937e4f3fe8df51c6a1eceb97
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Sources
- CVE-2022-49210 · CVE Program
- CVE-2022-49210 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-r3m4-wq9m-7fx4 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2022-49210 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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