# CVE-2022-48971: Bluetooth: Fix not cleanup led when bt_init fails

> A use-after-free in the Linux kernel Bluetooth subsystem can cause a system panic if initialization fails, leading to denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 21 Oct 2024
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2022-48971, GHSA-rr7w-hxcc-p96m, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-48971

## What is CVE-2022-48971?

CVE-2022-48971 is a medium-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 21 Oct 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

Bluetooth: Fix not cleanup led when bt_init fails

bt_init() calls bt_leds_init() to register led, but if it fails later,
bt_leds_cleanup() is not called to unregister it.

This can cause panic if the argument "bluetooth-power" in text is freed
and then another led_trigger_register() tries to access it:

BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: ffffffffc06d3bc0
RIP: 0010:strcmp+0xc/0x30
  Call Trace:
    <TASK>
    led_trigger_register+0x10d/0x4f0
    led_trigger_register_simple+0x7d/0x100
    bt_init+0x39/0xf7 [bluetooth]
    do_one_initcall+0xd0/0x4e0

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-48971?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-48971?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-48971 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-48971 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-48971 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-48971 is a medium-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 21 Oct 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-48971 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-48971/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-48971/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-48971
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-48971
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-48971

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-48971/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.