CVE-2022-50668
Description
A deadlock vulnerability was found in the ext4 filesystem in the Linux kernel. When manipulating extended attribute (xattr) blocks, a race condition in non-atomic bitfield updates can cause the mbcache entry state to become corrupted. This leads to an infinite loop in ext4_xattr_block_set() where the code repeatedly finds an xattr block for reuse but cannot use it due to an inconsistent reference count state, causing a system hang.
Statement
This is a deadlock issue in ext4 filesystem's extended attribute handling that can cause system hangs. The vulnerability requires local access and specific xattr operations to trigger but can result in complete system unavailability when exploited.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 4.7 | N/A | 7.5 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity,Confidentiality,Other
Technical Impact: Modify Application Data; Read Application Data; Alter Execution Logic
Frequently Asked Questions
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