# CVE-2022-50887: regulator: core: fix unbalanced of node refcount in regulator_dev_lookup()

> A refcount imbalance in the Linux kernel regulator core can cause memory leaks, potentially leading to denial of service.

- **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-2022-50887, GHSA-jpr9-mqf4-fm6w, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50887

## What is CVE-2022-50887?

CVE-2022-50887 is a memory corruption vulnerability in Linux, published on 30 Dec 2025. 

### Official description

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

regulator: core: fix unbalanced of node refcount in regulator_dev_lookup()

I got the the following report:

  OF: ERROR: memory leak, expected refcount 1 instead of 2,
  of_node_get()/of_node_put() unbalanced - destroy cset entry:
  attach overlay node /i2c/pmic@62/regulators/exten

In of_get_regulator(), the node is returned from of_parse_phandle()
with refcount incremented, after using it, of_node_put() need be called.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-50887?


## How do I fix CVE-2022-50887?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-50887 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-50887 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-50887 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-50887 is a memory corruption vulnerability in Linux, published on 30 Dec 2025. 
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-50887 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-2022-50887/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-50887/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-50887
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-50887
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-50887

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-50887/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.