# CVE-2022-50616: regulator: core: Use different devices for resource allocation and DT lookup

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel regulator core allows local attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 8 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2022-50616, GHSA-4gcp-hx9q-5r25, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2022-50616, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2022-50616, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50616

## What is CVE-2022-50616?

CVE-2022-50616 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 8 Dec 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:

regulator: core: Use different devices for resource allocation and DT lookup

Following by the below discussion, there's the potential UAF issue
between regulator and mfd.
https://lore.kernel.org/all/20221128143601.1698148-1-yangyingliang@huawei.com/

From the analysis of Yingliang

CPU A				|CPU B
mt6370_probe()			|
  devm_mfd_add_devices()	|
				|mt6370_regulator_probe()
				|  regulator_register()
				|    //allocate init_data and add it to devres
				|    regulator_of_get_init_data()
i2c_unregister_device()		|
  device_del()			|
    devres_release_all()	|
      // init_data is freed	|
      release_nodes()		|
				|  // using init_data causes UAF
				|  regulator_register()

It's common to use mfd core to create child device for the regulator.
In order to do the DT lookup for init data, the child that registered
the regulator would pass its parent as the parameter. And this causes
init data resource allocated to its parent, not itself. The issue happen
when parent device is going to release and regulator core is still doing
some operation of init data constraint for the regulator of child device.

To fix it, this patch expand 'regulator_register' API to use the
different devices for init data allocation and DT lookup.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-50616?


## How do I fix CVE-2022-50616?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-50616 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-50616 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-50616 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-50616 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 8 Dec 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-2022-50616 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. 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-2022-50616/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-50616/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-50616
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-50616
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-50616

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-50616/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.