# CVE-2022-49016: net: mdiobus: fix unbalanced node reference count

> A memory leak in the Linux kernel MDIO bus driver can lead to resource exhaustion and denial of service when specific device tree configurations are enabled.

- **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-2022-49016, GHSA-5cp3-hg96-hvr9, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-49016

## What is CVE-2022-49016?

CVE-2022-49016 is a medium-severity memory corruption 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:

net: mdiobus: fix unbalanced node reference count

I got the following report while doing device(mscc-miim) load test
with CONFIG_OF_UNITTEST and CONFIG_OF_DYNAMIC enabled:

  OF: ERROR: memory leak, expected refcount 1 instead of 2,
  of_node_get()/of_node_put() unbalanced - destroy cset entry:
  attach overlay node /spi/soc@0/mdio@7107009c/ethernet-phy@0

If the 'fwnode' is not an acpi node, the refcount is get in
fwnode_mdiobus_phy_device_register(), but it has never been
put when the device is freed in the normal path. So call
fwnode_handle_put() in phy_device_release() to avoid leak.

If it's an acpi node, it has never been get, but it's put
in the error path, so call fwnode_handle_get() before
phy_device_register() to keep get/put operation balanced.

Weakness: CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-49016?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-49016?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-49016 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-49016 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-2022-49016 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-49016 is a medium-severity memory corruption 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-2022-49016 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-2022-49016/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-49016/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-49016
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-49016
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-49016

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-49016/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.