CVE-2022-49640 sysctl: Fix data races in proc_douintvec_minmax().

Medium 4.7 Published Updated

Concurrent access to sysctl variables in the Linux kernel could lead to data races, potentially causing inconsistent state or unexpected behavior.

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-2022-49640?

CVE-2022-49640 is a medium-severity 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:

sysctl: Fix data races in proc_douintvec_minmax().

A sysctl variable is accessed concurrently, and there is always a chance of data-race. So, all readers and writers need some basic protection to avoid load/store-tearing.

This patch changes proc_douintvec_minmax() to use READ_ONCE() and WRITE_ONCE() internally to fix data-races on the sysctl side. For now, proc_douintvec_minmax() itself is tolerant to a data-race, but we still need to add annotations on the other subsystem's side.

Weakness: CWE-362

Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-49640?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2022-49640?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Is CVE-2022-49640 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-49640 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Linux kernel vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2022-49640, GHSA-6w2x-xmw9-v3hc, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-49640.

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