Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2022-49990
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: s390: fix double free of GS and RI CBs on fork() failure The pointers for guarded storage and runtime instrumentation control blocks are stored in the thread_struct of the associated task. These pointers are initially copied on fork() via arch_dup_task_struct() and then cleared via copy_thread() before fork() returns. If fork() happens to fail after the initial task dup and before copy_thread(), the newly allocated task and associated thread_struct memory are freed via free_task() -> arch_release_task_struct(). This results in a double free of the guarded storage and runtime info structs because the fields in the failed task still refer to memory associated with the source task. This problem can manifest as a BUG_ON() in set_freepointer() (with CONFIG_SLAB_FREELIST_HARDENED enabled) or KASAN splat (if enabled) when running trinity syscall fuzz tests on s390x. To avoid this problem, clear the associated pointer fields in arch_dup_task_struct() immediately after the new task is copied. Note that the RI flag is still cleared in copy_thread() because it resides in thread stack memory and that is where stack info is copied.
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 analysisThe same block of memory is freed twice, corrupting the allocator's bookkeeping in ways an attacker can shape toward code execution. It usually stems from tangled ownership of a pointer. The fix is clear, single ownership of each allocation and clearing pointers once they are freed.
General guidance for the double 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
>= 4.4.105, < 4.5>= 4.9.68, < 4.10>= 4.14.5, < 4.19.257>= 4.20, < 5.4.212>= 5.5, < 5.10.140>= 5.11, < 5.15.64>= 5.16, < 5.19.6= 6.0CVSS 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
- 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 · scoped4.54.104.19.257
Upgrade to the latest stable kernel version in your branch: 4.5+, 4.10+, 4.19.257+, or 5.4.212+
- Identify the current running kernel version using 'uname -r'
- Determine which version branch the running kernel belongs to (4.4.x, 4.9.x, 4.14.x, or 4.20.x/5.x)
- For 4.4.x branch: upgrade to kernel version 4.5 or later
- For 4.9.x branch: upgrade to kernel version 4.10 or later
- For 4.14.x branch: upgrade to kernel version 4.19.257 or later
- For 4.20.x/5.x branch: upgrade to kernel version 5.4.212 or later
- Apply the upgrade using the distribution's package manager (e.g., apt-get update && apt-get upgrade, yum update, dnf update)
- Reboot the system to load the new kernel
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-2022-49990 — 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-2022-49990 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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