CVE-2022-49403 lib/string_helpers: fix not adding strarray to device's resource list

Medium 5.5 Published Updated

A memory leak in the Linux kernel's string helpers can lead to resource exhaustion and denial of service.

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

What is CVE-2022-49403?

CVE-2022-49403 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:

lib/string_helpers: fix not adding strarray to device's resource list

Add allocated strarray to device's resource list. This is a must to automatically release strarray when the device disappears.

Without this fix we have a memory leak in the few drivers which use devm_kasprintf_strarray().

Weakness: CWE-401

Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-49403?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2022-49403?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.

Is CVE-2022-49403 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-49403 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Linux kernel vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2022-49403, GHSA-v76p-9ff9-f29g, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-49403.

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