CVE-2022-49549 x86/MCE/AMD: Fix memory leak when threshold_create_bank() fails
A memory leak in the Linux kernel AMD MCE driver can lead to resource exhaustion and denial of service when bank creation fails.
- 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-2022-49549?
CVE-2022-49549 is a medium-severity memory corruption 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:
x86/MCE/AMD: Fix memory leak when threshold_create_bank() fails
In mce_threshold_create_device(), if threshold_create_bank() fails, the previously allocated threshold banks array @bp will be leaked because the call to mce_threshold_remove_device() will not free it.
This happens because mce_threshold_remove_device() fetches the pointer through the threshold_banks per-CPU variable but bp is written there only after the bank creation is successful, and not before, when threshold_create_bank() fails.
Add a helper which unwinds all the bank creation work previously done and pass into it the previously allocated threshold banks array for freeing.
[ bp: Massage. ]
Weakness: CWE-401
Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-49549?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2022-49549?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.
Is CVE-2022-49549 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-49549 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2022-49549, GHSA-2xf2-3hgg-m6f8, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-49549.