CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2022-50189NVD status: Analyzed

Linux: Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2022-50189 is a high-severity missing release of resource after effective lifetime vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.1 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 2ebf6f5946817f33fb33e613e359229e98164eb3, 5e5fd36c58d6c820f7292ee492c3731c9a104a41 as the first without the flaw, so updating Linux to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.24% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update Linux to 2ebf6f5946817f33fb33e613e359229e98164eb3 or 5e5fd36c58d6c820f7292ee492c3731c9a104a41, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 5.19.2 or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinuxeae97e053fe306edbbe60c934031edf9a8affd3f up to, but not including, 2ebf6f5946817f33fb33e613e359229e98164eb3; eae97e053fe306edbbe60c934031edf9a8affd3f up to, but not including, 5e5fd36c58d6c820f7292ee492c3731c9a104a41; 5.192ebf6f5946817f33fb33e613e359229e98164eb3, 5e5fd36c58d6c820f7292ee492c3731c9a104a41
LinuxLinux Kernel5.19 up to, but not including, 5.19.25.19.2

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
LowA basic user account is enough.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
NoneNothing can be modified.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tools/power turbostat: Fix file pointer leak Currently if a fscanf fails then an early return leaks an open file pointer. Fix this by fclosing the file before the return. Detected using static analysis with cppcheck: tools/power/x86/turbostat/turbostat.c:2039:3: error: Resource leak: fp [resourceLeak]

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime

The product does not release a resource after its effective lifetime has ended, i.e., after the resource is no longer needed.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, languages such as Java, Ruby, and Lisp perform automatic garbage collection that releases memory for objects that have been deallocated.
  • It is good practice to be responsible for freeing all resources you allocate and to be consistent with how and where you free resources in a function. If you allocate resources that you intend to free upon completion of the function, you must be sure to free the resources at all exit points for that function including error conditions.

More Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime vulnerabilities (CWE-772)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime vulnerabilities

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