# CVE-2022-50716: wifi: ar5523: Fix use-after-free on ar5523_cmd() timed out
> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ar5523 WiFi driver allows local attackers to cause a denial of service or potentially execute code.
- **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:** 24 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2022-50716, GHSA-4m5x-vw6p-2w8c, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50716
## What is CVE-2022-50716?
CVE-2022-50716 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 24 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:
wifi: ar5523: Fix use-after-free on ar5523_cmd() timed out
syzkaller reported use-after-free with the stack trace like below [1]:
[ 38.960489][ C3] ==================================================================
[ 38.963216][ C3] BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in ar5523_cmd_tx_cb+0x220/0x240
[ 38.964950][ C3] Read of size 8 at addr ffff888048e03450 by task swapper/3/0
[ 38.966363][ C3]
[ 38.967053][ C3] CPU: 3 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/3 Not tainted 6.0.0-09039-ga6afa4199d3d-dirty #18
[ 38.968464][ C3] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.16.0-1.fc36 04/01/2014
[ 38.969959][ C3] Call Trace:
[ 38.970841][ C3]
[ 38.971663][ C3] dump_stack_lvl+0xfc/0x174
[ 38.972620][ C3] print_report.cold+0x2c3/0x752
[ 38.973626][ C3] ? ar5523_cmd_tx_cb+0x220/0x240
[ 38.974644][ C3] kasan_report+0xb1/0x1d0
[ 38.975720][ C3] ? ar5523_cmd_tx_cb+0x220/0x240
[ 38.976831][ C3] ar5523_cmd_tx_cb+0x220/0x240
[ 38.978412][ C3] __usb_hcd_giveback_urb+0x353/0x5b0
[ 38.979755][ C3] usb_hcd_giveback_urb+0x385/0x430
[ 38.981266][ C3] dummy_timer+0x140c/0x34e0
[ 38.982925][ C3] ? notifier_call_chain+0xb5/0x1e0
[ 38.984761][ C3] ? rcu_read_lock_sched_held+0xb/0x60
[ 38.986242][ C3] ? lock_release+0x51c/0x790
[ 38.987323][ C3] ? _raw_read_unlock_irqrestore+0x37/0x70
[ 38.988483][ C3] ? __wake_up_common_lock+0xde/0x130
[ 38.989621][ C3] ? reacquire_held_locks+0x4a0/0x4a0
[ 38.990777][ C3] ? lock_acquire+0x472/0x550
[ 38.991919][ C3] ? rcu_read_lock_sched_held+0xb/0x60
[ 38.993138][ C3] ? lock_acquire+0x472/0x550
[ 38.994890][ C3] ? dummy_urb_enqueue+0x860/0x860
[ 38.996266][ C3] ? do_raw_spin_unlock+0x16f/0x230
[ 38.997670][ C3] ? dummy_urb_enqueue+0x860/0x860
[ 38.999116][ C3] call_timer_fn+0x1a0/0x6a0
[ 39.000668][ C3] ? add_timer_on+0x4a0/0x4a0
[ 39.002137][ C3] ? reacquire_held_locks+0x4a0/0x4a0
[ 39.003809][ C3] ? __next_timer_interrupt+0x226/0x2a0
[ 39.005509][ C3] __run_timers.part.0+0x69a/0xac0
[ 39.007025][ C3] ? dummy_urb_enqueue+0x860/0x860
[ 39.008716][ C3] ? call_timer_fn+0x6a0/0x6a0
[ 39.010254][ C3] ? cpuacct_percpu_seq_show+0x10/0x10
[ 39.011795][ C3] ? kvm_sched_clock_read+0x14/0x40
[ 39.013277][ C3] ? sched_clock_cpu+0x69/0x2b0
[ 39.014724][ C3] run_timer_softirq+0xb6/0x1d0
[ 39.016196][ C3] __do_softirq+0x1d2/0x9be
[ 39.017616][ C3] __irq_exit_rcu+0xeb/0x190
[ 39.019004][ C3] irq_exit_rcu+0x5/0x20
[ 39.020361][ C3] sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x8f/0xb0
[ 39.021965][ C3]
[ 39.023237][ C3]
In ar5523_probe(), ar5523_host_available() calls ar5523_cmd() as below
(there are other functions which finally call ar5523_cmd()):
ar5523_probe()
-> ar5523_host_available()
-> ar5523_cmd_read()
-> ar5523_cmd()
If ar5523_cmd() timed out, then ar5523_host_available() failed and
ar5523_probe() freed the device structure. So, ar5523_cmd_tx_cb()
might touch the freed structure.
This patch fixes this issue by canceling in-flight tx cmd if submitted
urb timed out.
## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-50716?
## How do I fix CVE-2022-50716?
Apply the vendor's patch.
## Is CVE-2022-50716 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-50716 in the wild and no public exploit code.
## Fix prompt for AI coding agents
```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-50716 and fix it if it is affected.
What it is: CVE-2022-50716 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 24 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-2022-50716 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-2022-50716/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-50716/index.md)
```
## Sources
- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-50716
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-50716
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-50716
---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-50716/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.