CVE-2022-50514 usb: gadget: f_hid: fix refcount leak on error path
A refcount leak in the Linux kernel USB HID gadget driver can permanently lock options, causing 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-2022-50514?
CVE-2022-50514 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 7 Oct 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:
usb: gadget: f_hid: fix refcount leak on error path
When failing to allocate report_desc, opts->refcnt has already been incremented so it needs to be decremented to avoid leaving the options structure permanently locked.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-50514?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2022-50514?
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-2022-50514 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-50514 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2022-50514, GHSA-98p2-fhmm-f934, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50514.