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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2022-1973

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-08-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.15.46 / 5.17.14 or later.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A use-after-free flaw was found in the Linux kernel in log_replay in fs/ntfs3/fslog.c in the NTFS journal. This flaw allows a local attacker to crash the system and leads to a kernel information leak problem.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

A use-after-free vulnerability in the NTFS3 filesystem driver's journal replay functionality (log_replay in fs/ntfs3/fslog.c) allows local attackers to crash the system and leak kernel memory information. The flaw occurs during NTFS journal replay operations.

MitigationApply the upstream kernel patch or upgrade to a kernel version that includes the fix for CVE-2022-1973. Given the CVSS 7.1 score and kernel information leak impact, prioritize patching on systems using the NTFS3 driver (CONFIG_NTFS3).

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 5.15, < 5.15.46>= 5.16, < 5.17.14>= 5.18, < 5.18.3
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 35= 36
H300s FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
H500s FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
H700s FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
H410s FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
H410c FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check kernel version against affected ranges
    Run 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' to get the running kernel version. Compare it to the affected ranges: 5.15 to 5.15.45, 5.16 to 5.17.13, 5.18 to 5.18.2.
    Affected if The kernel version falls within any of these vulnerable ranges: >= 5.15 and < 5.15.46, >= 5.16 and < 5.17.14, or >= 5.18 and < 5.18.3.
  2. Verify NTFS3 driver is enabled
    Check if CONFIG_NTFS3 is set in the kernel config file (usually at /boot/config-$(uname -r) or /proc/config.gz). Also check if the ntfs3 module is loaded via 'lsmod | grep ntfs3' or available via 'modprobe ntfs3'.
    Affected if The NTFS3 driver (CONFIG_NTFS3) is compiled as a module or built-in and is available on the system.
  3. Check for mounted NTFS3 filesystems
    Run 'mount | grep ntfs3' or check /proc/mounts for any ntfs3 filesystem entries. Also check /etc/fstab for NTFS3 entries that may be mounted.
    Affected if An NTFS3 filesystem is currently mounted or configured to be mounted on the system.
  4. Identify if NTFS journal replay may occur
    Check for any NTFS volumes that have a journal (transaction log) by inspecting mounted NTFS3 partitions or examining NTFS filesystem metadata. The vulnerability triggers during log replay operations.
    Affected if NTFS3 is in use with NTFS volumes that contain journals, which could trigger the journal replay code path.

The system is affected if it runs a vulnerable kernel version (5.15.x before 5.15.46, 5.16.x before 5.17.14, or 5.18.x before 5.18.3) AND has the NTFS3 driver enabled or in use.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.15.46 / 5.17.14 / 5.18.3 or later
Fixed in 5.15.465.17.145.18.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the upstream kernel patch or upgrade to a kernel version that includes the fix for CVE-2022-1973. Given the CVSS 7.1 score and kernel information leak impact, prioritize patching on systems using the NTFS3 driver (CONFIG_NTFS3).

Recommended fix High confidence

Kernel 5.15.46+ / 5.17.14+ / 5.18.3+ (or later stable releases)

  1. Identify the current kernel version using 'uname -r' or 'rpm -q kernel'
  2. For RHEL/CentOS: Update to kernel version >= 5.15.46, >= 5.17.14, or >= 5.18.3 using 'dnf update kernel' or 'yum update kernel'
  3. For Fedora 35/36: Run 'dnf update' to get the patched kernel package
  4. For other distributions: Upgrade to a kernel release >= 5.15.46, >= 5.17.14, or >= 5.18.3
  5. Reboot the system to load the new kernel
  6. Verify the fix by running 'uname -r' and confirming the version is at or above the fixed release
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebuilding third-party kernel modules (like NVIDIA drivers); ensure compatibility before rebooting

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA5.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,020
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-1973 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data