Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2022-49840
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 · uneditedIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf, test_run: Fix alignment problem in bpf_prog_test_run_skb() We got a syzkaller problem because of aarch64 alignment fault if KFENCE enabled. When the size from user bpf program is an odd number, like 399, 407, etc, it will cause the struct skb_shared_info's unaligned access. As seen below: BUG: KFENCE: use-after-free read in __skb_clone+0x23c/0x2a0 net/core/skbuff.c:1032 Use-after-free read at 0xffff6254fffac077 (in kfence-#213): __lse_atomic_add arch/arm64/include/asm/atomic_lse.h:26 [inline] arch_atomic_add arch/arm64/include/asm/atomic.h:28 [inline] arch_atomic_inc include/linux/atomic-arch-fallback.h:270 [inline] atomic_inc include/asm-generic/atomic-instrumented.h:241 [inline] __skb_clone+0x23c/0x2a0 net/core/skbuff.c:1032 skb_clone+0xf4/0x214 net/core/skbuff.c:1481 ____bpf_clone_redirect net/core/filter.c:2433 [inline] bpf_clone_redirect+0x78/0x1c0 net/core/filter.c:2420 bpf_prog_d3839dd9068ceb51+0x80/0x330 bpf_dispatcher_nop_func include/linux/bpf.h:728 [inline] bpf_test_run+0x3c0/0x6c0 net/bpf/test_run.c:53 bpf_prog_test_run_skb+0x638/0xa7c net/bpf/test_run.c:594 bpf_prog_test_run kernel/bpf/syscall.c:3148 [inline] __do_sys_bpf kernel/bpf/syscall.c:4441 [inline] __se_sys_bpf+0xad0/0x1634 kernel/bpf/syscall.c:4381 kfence-#213: 0xffff6254fffac000-0xffff6254fffac196, size=407, cache=kmalloc-512 allocated by task 15074 on cpu 0 at 1342.585390s: kmalloc include/linux/slab.h:568 [inline] kzalloc include/linux/slab.h:675 [inline] bpf_test_init.isra.0+0xac/0x290 net/bpf/test_run.c:191 bpf_prog_test_run_skb+0x11c/0xa7c net/bpf/test_run.c:512 bpf_prog_test_run kernel/bpf/syscall.c:3148 [inline] __do_sys_bpf kernel/bpf/syscall.c:4441 [inline] __se_sys_bpf+0xad0/0x1634 kernel/bpf/syscall.c:4381 __arm64_sys_bpf+0x50/0x60 kernel/bpf/syscall.c:4381 To fix the problem, we adjust @size so that (@size + @hearoom) is a multiple of SMP_CACHE_BYTES. So we make sure the struct skb_shared_info is aligned to a cache line.
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 analysisMemory 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
>= 4.12, < 4.14.300>= 4.15, < 4.19.267>= 4.20, < 5.4.225>= 5.5, < 5.10.156>= 5.11, < 5.15.80>= 5.16, < 6.0.10= 6.1CVSS 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 · scoped4.14.3004.19.2675.4.225
Linux Kernel 5.10.156 or later stable release (e.g., 5.10.156, 5.15.x, 6.1.x)
- Identify the currently running Linux kernel version using `uname -r`
- Determine which affected version range your kernel falls into from: 4.12-4.14.299, 4.15-4.19.266, 4.20-5.4.224, or 5.5-5.10.155
- Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 5.10.156 or later, or to a version that includes the stable patch commit 047824a730699c6c66df43306b80f700c9dfc2fd
- After kernel upgrade, reboot the system to load the fixed kernel
- Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version and confirming the patch is included: `uname -r` and checking kernel config or patch notes
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-49840 — 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-2022-49840 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data