Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2022-49626

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-02-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.9.324 / 4.14.289 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click Patch available

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
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sfc: fix use after free when disabling sriov Use after free is detected by kfence when disabling sriov. What was read after being freed was vf->pci_dev: it was freed from pci_disable_sriov and later read in efx_ef10_sriov_free_vf_vports, called from efx_ef10_sriov_free_vf_vswitching. Set the pointer to NULL at release time to not trying to read it later. Reproducer and dmesg log (note that kfence doesn't detect it every time): $ echo 1 > /sys/class/net/enp65s0f0np0/device/sriov_numvfs $ echo 0 > /sys/class/net/enp65s0f0np0/device/sriov_numvfs BUG: KFENCE: use-after-free read in efx_ef10_sriov_free_vf_vswitching+0x82/0x170 [sfc] Use-after-free read at 0x00000000ff3c1ba5 (in kfence-#224): efx_ef10_sriov_free_vf_vswitching+0x82/0x170 [sfc] efx_ef10_pci_sriov_disable+0x38/0x70 [sfc] efx_pci_sriov_configure+0x24/0x40 [sfc] sriov_numvfs_store+0xfe/0x140 kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x11c/0x1b0 new_sync_write+0x11f/0x1b0 vfs_write+0x1eb/0x280 ksys_write+0x5f/0xe0 do_syscall_64+0x5c/0x80 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae kfence-#224: 0x00000000edb8ef95-0x00000000671f5ce1, size=2792, cache=kmalloc-4k allocated by task 6771 on cpu 10 at 3137.860196s: pci_alloc_dev+0x21/0x60 pci_iov_add_virtfn+0x2a2/0x320 sriov_enable+0x212/0x3e0 efx_ef10_sriov_configure+0x67/0x80 [sfc] efx_pci_sriov_configure+0x24/0x40 [sfc] sriov_numvfs_store+0xba/0x140 kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x11c/0x1b0 new_sync_write+0x11f/0x1b0 vfs_write+0x1eb/0x280 ksys_write+0x5f/0xe0 do_syscall_64+0x5c/0x80 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae freed by task 6771 on cpu 12 at 3170.991309s: device_release+0x34/0x90 kobject_cleanup+0x3a/0x130 pci_iov_remove_virtfn+0xd9/0x120 sriov_disable+0x30/0xe0 efx_ef10_pci_sriov_disable+0x57/0x70 [sfc] efx_pci_sriov_configure+0x24/0x40 [sfc] sriov_numvfs_store+0xfe/0x140 kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x11c/0x1b0 new_sync_write+0x11f/0x1b0 vfs_write+0x1eb/0x280 ksys_write+0x5f/0xe0 do_syscall_64+0x5c/0x80 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae

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
How this class of weakness works · CWE-416

Memory is used after it has been freed, so its contents — now potentially attacker-controlled — drive the program's behaviour. With careful heap grooming this becomes code execution. The fix requires disciplined ownership of memory and often a targeted rework of the object lifecycle.

General guidance for the use after free class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

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:>= 4.2, < 4.9.324>= 4.10, < 4.14.289>= 4.15, < 4.19.253>= 4.20, < 5.4.207>= 5.5, < 5.10.132>= 5.11, < 5.15.56>= 5.16, < 5.18.13= 5.19

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
High
Availability
High

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

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 4.9.324 / 4.14.289 / 4.19.253 or later
Fixed in 4.9.3244.14.2894.19.253
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

5.4.207 (or respective fixed version in your branch: 4.9.324, 4.14.289, or 4.19.253)

  1. 1. Identify the currently running kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. 2. Determine which kernel branch (4.9.x, 4.14.x, 4.19.x, or 5.4.x) the system is using
  3. 3. For systems on 4.9.x branch: upgrade to kernel version >= 4.9.324
  4. 4. For systems on 4.14.x branch: upgrade to kernel version >= 4.14.289
  5. 5. For systems on 4.19.x branch: upgrade to kernel version >= 4.19.253
  6. 6. For systems on 5.4.x branch or later: upgrade to kernel version >= 5.4.207
  7. 7. Reboot the system to apply the new kernel
  8. 8. Verify the fix is applied by checking that efx_ef10_sriov_free_vf_vswitching no longer accesses freed memory
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require driver recompilation for out-of-tree modules; ensure compatible firmware and driver packages are available for the new kernel version

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

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $3,200. Get the upgrade done

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
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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-2022-49626 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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