# CVE-2022-48974: netfilter: conntrack: fix using __this_cpu_add in preemptible

> A bug in the Linux kernel netfilter conntrack module causes a kernel panic when handling invalid extension data, 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-2022-48974, GHSA-g3gx-vxgx-5xvc, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-48974

## What is CVE-2022-48974?

CVE-2022-48974 is a medium-severity denial of service 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:

netfilter: conntrack: fix using __this_cpu_add in preemptible

Currently in nf_conntrack_hash_check_insert(), when it fails in
nf_ct_ext_valid_pre/post(), NF_CT_STAT_INC() will be called in the
preemptible context, a call trace can be triggered:

   BUG: using __this_cpu_add() in preemptible [00000000] code: conntrack/1636
   caller is nf_conntrack_hash_check_insert+0x45/0x430 [nf_conntrack]
   Call Trace:
    <TASK>
    dump_stack_lvl+0x33/0x46
    check_preemption_disabled+0xc3/0xf0
    nf_conntrack_hash_check_insert+0x45/0x430 [nf_conntrack]
    ctnetlink_create_conntrack+0x3cd/0x4e0 [nf_conntrack_netlink]
    ctnetlink_new_conntrack+0x1c0/0x450 [nf_conntrack_netlink]
    nfnetlink_rcv_msg+0x277/0x2f0 [nfnetlink]
    netlink_rcv_skb+0x50/0x100
    nfnetlink_rcv+0x65/0x144 [nfnetlink]
    netlink_unicast+0x1ae/0x290
    netlink_sendmsg+0x257/0x4f0
    sock_sendmsg+0x5f/0x70

This patch is to fix it by changing to use NF_CT_STAT_INC_ATOMIC() for
nf_ct_ext_valid_pre/post() check in nf_conntrack_hash_check_insert(),
as well as nf_ct_ext_valid_post() in __nf_conntrack_confirm().

Note that nf_ct_ext_valid_pre() check in __nf_conntrack_confirm() is
safe to use NF_CT_STAT_INC(), as it's under local_bh_disable().

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-48974?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-48974?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-48974 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-48974 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-2022-48974 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-48974 is a medium-severity denial of service 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-2022-48974 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-2022-48974/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-48974/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-48974
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-48974
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-48974

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-48974/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.