# CVE-2022-50870: powerpc/rtas: avoid device tree lookups in rtas_os_term()

> A race condition in the Linux kernel's powerpc RTAS handler can cause a system hang during panic if device tree locks are held.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Not stated
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 30 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2022-50870, GHSA-87x8-vfrq-6cww, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50870

## What is CVE-2022-50870?

CVE-2022-50870 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 30 Dec 2025. 

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

powerpc/rtas: avoid device tree lookups in rtas_os_term()

rtas_os_term() is called during panic. Its behavior depends on a couple
of conditions in the /rtas node of the device tree, the traversal of
which entails locking and local IRQ state changes. If the kernel panics
while devtree_lock is held, rtas_os_term() as currently written could
hang.

Instead of discovering the relevant characteristics at panic time,
cache them in file-static variables at boot. Note the lookup for
"ibm,extended-os-term" is converted to of_property_read_bool() since it
is a boolean property, not an RTAS function token.

[mpe: Incorporate suggested change from Nick]

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-50870?


## How do I fix CVE-2022-50870?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-50870 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-50870 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-50870 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-50870 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 30 Dec 2025. 
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-50870 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-2022-50870/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-50870/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-50870
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-50870
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-50870

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-50870/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.