# CVE-2022-50304: mtd: core: fix possible resource leak in init_mtd()

> A resource leak in the Linux kernel MTD core prevents reloading the module, causing a denial of service.

- **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:** 15 Sep 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-71350, DEBIAN-CVE-2022-50304, GHSA-x78r-fcw5-873j, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2022-50304, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2022-50304, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50304

## What is CVE-2022-50304?

CVE-2022-50304 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 15 Sep 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:

mtd: core: fix possible resource leak in init_mtd()

I got the error report while inject fault in init_mtd():

sysfs: cannot create duplicate filename '/devices/virtual/bdi/mtd-0'
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 dump_stack_lvl+0x67/0x83
 sysfs_warn_dup+0x60/0x70
 sysfs_create_dir_ns+0x109/0x120
 kobject_add_internal+0xce/0x2f0
 kobject_add+0x98/0x110
 device_add+0x179/0xc00
 device_create_groups_vargs+0xf4/0x100
 device_create+0x7b/0xb0
 bdi_register_va.part.13+0x58/0x2d0
 bdi_register+0x9b/0xb0
 init_mtd+0x62/0x171 [mtd]
 do_one_initcall+0x6c/0x3c0
 do_init_module+0x58/0x222
 load_module+0x268e/0x27d0
 __do_sys_finit_module+0xd5/0x140
 do_syscall_64+0x37/0x90
 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd
 </TASK>
kobject_add_internal failed for mtd-0 with -EEXIST, don't try to register
	things with the same name in the same directory.
Error registering mtd class or bdi: -17

If init_mtdchar() fails in init_mtd(), mtd_bdi will not be unregistered,
as a result, we can't load the mtd module again, to fix this by calling
bdi_unregister(mtd_bdi) after out_procfs label.

Weakness: CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-50304?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-50304?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-50304 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-50304 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-2022-50304 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-50304 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 15 Sep 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-2022-50304 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-2022-50304/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-50304/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-50304
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-50304
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-50304

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-50304/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.