Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2022-50304

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.0.16 / 6.1.2 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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: mtd: core: fix possible resource leak in init_mtd() I got the error report while inject fault in init_mtd(): sysfs: cannot create duplicate filename '/devices/virtual/bdi/mtd-0' Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x67/0x83 sysfs_warn_dup+0x60/0x70 sysfs_create_dir_ns+0x109/0x120 kobject_add_internal+0xce/0x2f0 kobject_add+0x98/0x110 device_add+0x179/0xc00 device_create_groups_vargs+0xf4/0x100 device_create+0x7b/0xb0 bdi_register_va.part.13+0x58/0x2d0 bdi_register+0x9b/0xb0 init_mtd+0x62/0x171 [mtd] do_one_initcall+0x6c/0x3c0 do_init_module+0x58/0x222 load_module+0x268e/0x27d0 __do_sys_finit_module+0xd5/0x140 do_syscall_64+0x37/0x90 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd </TASK> kobject_add_internal failed for mtd-0 with -EEXIST, don't try to register things with the same name in the same directory. Error registering mtd class or bdi: -17 If init_mtdchar() fails in init_mtd(), mtd_bdi will not be unregistered, as a result, we can't load the mtd module again, to fix this by calling bdi_unregister(mtd_bdi) after out_procfs label.

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-401

Allocated memory is never released on some path, so a long-running service or a repeatedly triggered request steadily consumes memory until performance degrades or the process crashes. Attackers exploit it by simply driving the leaking path. Remediation is pairing every allocation with a release and using ownership patterns or tooling to catch what leaks.

General guidance for the memory leak 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:>= 4.10, < 6.0.16>= 6.1, < 6.1.2

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 6.0.16 / 6.1.2 or later
Fixed in 6.0.166.1.2
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

6.0.16 or later (6.0.x), or 6.1.2 or later (6.1.x)

  1. Upgrade Linux kernel to version 6.0.16 or later if using the 6.0.x release line
  2. Alternatively, upgrade Linux kernel to version 6.1.2 or later if using the 6.1.x release line
  3. After upgrade, verify the fix by checking that the mtd module can be loaded and unloaded without encountering the 'sysfs: cannot create duplicate filename' error
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require matching user-space tools and could introduce regressions; test in staging environment first

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 $1,600. Get the upgrade done

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-50304 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-50304 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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