# CVE-2022-49799: tracing: Fix wild-memory-access in register_synth_event()

> A double-free error in the Linux kernel tracing subsystem can cause a wild-memory-access crash, leading to denial of service.

- **Severity:** High 7.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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:** 1 May 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2022-49799, GHSA-crf9-7wj5-4jxg, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-49799

## What is CVE-2022-49799?

CVE-2022-49799 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 May 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:

tracing: Fix wild-memory-access in register_synth_event()

In register_synth_event(), if set_synth_event_print_fmt() failed, then
both trace_remove_event_call() and unregister_trace_event() will be
called, which means the trace_event_call will call
__unregister_trace_event() twice. As the result, the second unregister
will causes the wild-memory-access.

register_synth_event
    set_synth_event_print_fmt failed
    trace_remove_event_call
        event_remove
            if call->event.funcs then
            __unregister_trace_event (first call)
    unregister_trace_event
        __unregister_trace_event (second call)

Fix the bug by avoiding to call the second __unregister_trace_event() by
checking if the first one is called.

general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address
	0xfbd59c0000000024: 0000 [#1] SMP KASAN PTI
KASAN: maybe wild-memory-access in range
[0xdead000000000120-0xdead000000000127]
CPU: 0 PID: 3807 Comm: modprobe Not tainted
6.1.0-rc1-00186-g76f33a7eedb4 #299
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS
rel-1.15.0-0-g2dd4b9b3f840-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014
RIP: 0010:unregister_trace_event+0x6e/0x280
Code: 00 fc ff df 4c 89 ea 48 c1 ea 03 80 3c 02 00 0f 85 0e 02 00 00 48
b8 00 00 00 00 00 fc ff df 4c 8b 63 08 4c 89 e2 48 c1 ea 03 <80> 3c 02
00 0f 85 e2 01 00 00 49 89 2c 24 48 85 ed 74 28 e8 7a 9b
RSP: 0018:ffff88810413f370 EFLAGS: 00010a06
RAX: dffffc0000000000 RBX: ffff888105d050b0 RCX: 0000000000000000
RDX: 1bd5a00000000024 RSI: ffff888119e276e0 RDI: ffffffff835a8b20
RBP: dead000000000100 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: fffffbfff0913481
R10: ffffffff8489a407 R11: fffffbfff0913480 R12: dead000000000122
R13: ffff888105d050b8 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: ffff888105d05028
FS:  00007f7823e8d540(0000) GS:ffff888119e00000(0000)
knlGS:0000000000000000
CS:  0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
CR2: 00007f7823e7ebec CR3: 000000010a058002 CR4: 0000000000330ef0
DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000
DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 __create_synth_event+0x1e37/0x1eb0
 create_or_delete_synth_event+0x110/0x250
 synth_event_run_command+0x2f/0x110
 test_gen_synth_cmd+0x170/0x2eb [synth_event_gen_test]
 synth_event_gen_test_init+0x76/0x9bc [synth_event_gen_test]
 do_one_initcall+0xdb/0x480
 do_init_module+0x1cf/0x680
 load_module+0x6a50/0x70a0
 __do_sys_finit_module+0x12f/0x1c0
 do_syscall_64+0x3f/0x90
 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd

Weakness: CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-49799?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-49799?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-49799 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-49799 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-2022-49799 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-49799 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 May 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-2022-49799 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-2022-49799/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-49799/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-49799
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-49799
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-49799

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-49799/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.
