PT-2025-53956 · Linux · Linux Kernel

Published

2022-12-19

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Updated

2026-01-28

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CVE-2022-50838

CVSS v2.0

4.9

Medium

VectorAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C
Name of the Vulnerable Software and Affected Versions Linux kernel (affected versions not specified)
Description The Linux kernel contains a flaw related to TCP socket handling. Specifically, the sk error queue is not properly purged during socket closure, potentially leading to memory leaks and system instability. This issue arises when SOF TIMESTAMPING TX ACK is enabled on a socket, and the application utilizes MSG ZEROCOPY. The incomplete purging of the error queue can elevate the socket refcount indefinitely, causing TCP sockets to remain alive even after the application closes them. This can be exploited to exhaust kernel memory and freeze the host system. The issue involves the functions skb tstamp tx(), sock zerocopy alloc(), and tcp close().
Recommendations At the moment, there is no information about a newer version that contains a fix for this vulnerability.

Exploit

Memory Leak

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Weakness Enumeration

Related Identifiers

BDU:2026-02415
CVE-2022-50838
SUSE-SU-2026:0263-1
SUSE-SU-2026:0317-1

Affected Products

Linux Kernel