CVE-2022-50457: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mtd: core: Fix refcount error in del_mtd_device() del_mtd_device() will call of_...

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mtd: core: Fix refcount error in del_mtd_device() del_mtd_device() will call of_node_put() to mtd_get_of_node(mtd), which is mtd->dev.of_node. However, memset(&mtd->dev, 0) is called before of_node_put(). As the result, of_node_put() won't do anything in del_mtd_device(), and causes the refcount leak. del_mtd_device() memset(&mtd->dev, 0, sizeof(mtd->dev) # clear mtd->dev of_node_put() mtd_get_of_node(mtd) # mtd->dev is cleared, can't locate of_node # of_node_put(NULL) won't do anything Fix the error by caching the pointer of the device_node. OF: ERROR: memory leak, expected refcount 1 instead of 2, of_node_get()/of_node_put() unbalanced - destroy cset entry: attach overlay node /spi/spi-sram@0 CPU: 3 PID: 275 Comm: python3 Tainted: G N 6.1.0-rc3+ #54 0d8a1edddf51f172ff5226989a7565c6313b08e2 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.15.0-0-g2dd4b9b3f840-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x67/0x83 kobject_get+0x155/0x160 of_node_get+0x1f/0x30 of_fwnode_get+0x43/0x70 fwnode_handle_get+0x54/0x80 fwnode_get_nth_parent+0xc9/0xe0 fwnode_full_name_string+0x3f/0xa0 device_node_string+0x30f/0x750 pointer+0x598/0x7a0 vsnprintf+0x62d/0x9b0 ... cfs_overlay_release+0x30/0x90 config_item_release+0xbe/0x1a0 config_item_put+0x5e/0x80 configfs_rmdir+0x3bd/0x540 vfs_rmdir+0x18c/0x320 do_rmdir+0x198/0x330 __x64_sys_rmdir+0x2c/0x40 do_syscall_64+0x37/0x90 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd [<miquel.raynal@bootlin.com>: Light reword of the commit log]

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS Probability

0.14%

3.7th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.17, < 6.0.16
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.1, < 6.1.2

References

Timeline

Published: Oct 1, 2025
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-50457?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mtd: core: Fix refcount error in del_mtd_device() del_mtd_device() will call of_node_put() to mtd_get_of_node(mtd), which is mtd->dev.of_node. However, memset(&mtd->dev, 0) is called before of_node_put(). As the result, of_node_put() won't do anything in del_mtd_device(), and causes the refcount leak. del_mtd_device() memset(&mtd->dev, 0, sizeof(mtd->dev) # clear mtd->dev of_node_put() mtd_get_of_node(mtd) # mtd->dev is cleared, can't locate of_node # of_node_put(NULL) won't do anything Fix the error by caching the pointer of the device_node. OF: ERROR: memory leak, expected refcount 1 instead of 2, of_node_get()/of_node_put() unbalanced - destroy cset entry: attach overlay node /spi/spi-sram@0 CPU: 3 PID: 275 Comm: python3 Tainted: G N 6.1.0-rc3+ #54 0d8a1edddf51f172ff5226989a7565c6313b08e2 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.15.0-0-g2dd4b9b3f840-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x67/0x83 kobject_get+0x155/0x160 of_node_get+0x1f/0x30 of_fwnode_get+0x43/0x70 fwnode_handle_get+0x54/0x80 fwnode_get_nth_parent+0xc9/0xe0 fwnode_full_name_string+0x3f/0xa0 device_node_string+0x30f/0x750 pointer+0x598/0x7a0 vsnprintf+0x62d/0x9b0 ... cfs_overlay_release+0x30/0x90 config_item_release+0xbe/0x1a0 config_item_put+0x5e/0x80 configfs_rmdir+0x3bd/0x540 vfs_rmdir+0x18c/0x320 do_rmdir+0x198/0x330 __x64_sys_rmdir+0x2c/0x40 do_syscall_64+0x37/0x90 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd [<miquel.raynal@bootlin.com>: Light reword of the commit log]

How severe is CVE-2022-50457?

CVE-2022-50457 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.14% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2022-50457?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.