# CVE-2022-49064: cachefiles: unmark inode in use in error path

> A logic error in the Linux kernel cachefiles subsystem can cause inode flag leakage, leading to denial of service when subsequent operations fail.

- **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:** 26 Feb 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2022-49064, GHSA-96xf-xvcw-f386, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-49064

## What is CVE-2022-49064?

CVE-2022-49064 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 26 Feb 2025. 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:

cachefiles: unmark inode in use in error path

Unmark inode in use if error encountered. If the in-use flag leakage
occurs in cachefiles_open_file(), Cachefiles will complain "Inode
already in use" when later another cookie with the same index key is
looked up.

If the in-use flag leakage occurs in cachefiles_create_tmpfile(), though
the "Inode already in use" warning won't be triggered, fix the leakage
anyway.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-49064?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-49064?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-49064 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-49064 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-2022-49064 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-49064 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 26 Feb 2025. 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-2022-49064 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-2022-49064/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-49064/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-49064
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-49064
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-49064

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-49064/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.