FreeBSDOperating system
CVE-2022-23090
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 · uneditedThe aio_aqueue function, used by the lio_listio system call, fails to release a reference to a credential in an error case. An attacker may cause the reference count to overflow, leading to a use after free (UAF).
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 · high confidenceThe aio_aqueue function in FreeBSD's lio_listio system call fails to release a credential reference in an error path, causing a reference count leak. With repeated triggers, the reference count can overflow, leading to a use-after-free (UAF) vulnerability that could allow privilege escalation or denial of service.
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
FreeBSDOperating system
= 12.3= 13.0CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check FreeBSD versionRun 'freebsd-version' or 'uname -r' to identify the installed FreeBSD versionAffected if The version is exactly 12.3 or 13.0, as these are the only affected versions listed
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Verify aio kernel module statusRun 'kldstat | grep aio' to check if the aio kernel module is loadedAffected if The aio module is loaded, as the vulnerability exists in the aio subsystem
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Monitor for lio_listio system call usageUse 'procstat -s' or system call tracing tools to observe if lio_listio is being invoked by any processesAffected if lio_listio is actively being called, as this triggers the vulnerable code path in aio_aqueue
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Inspect kernel credential reference countsExamine kernel structures for abnormal credential reference counts using kernel debugging tools or crash dumps if availableAffected if Credential reference counts are significantly elevated or inconsistent, indicating the leak has occurred
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Review system logs for aio-related errorsCheck /var/log/messages and dmesg output for any aio-related kernel errors, warnings, or panicsAffected if Any aio errors or use-after-free messages appear in system logs
A system is affected if it runs FreeBSD 12.3 or 13.0 and actively uses lio_listio or async I/O operations, which triggers the reference count leak in aio_aqueue.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataApply FreeBSD security patches for this vulnerability or upgrade to a patched version. Prioritize systems using asynchronous I/O operations. Consider restricting lio_listio access via seccomp or syscall filtering as a temporary mitigation until patching is feasible.
Fix this in FreeBSD
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing5.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,752.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-23090 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-23090 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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
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