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CVE Record

CVE-2022-50285: mm,hugetlb: take hugetlb_lock before decrementing h->resv_huge_pages

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm,hugetlb: take hugetlb_lock before decrementing h->resv_huge_pages The h->*_huge_pages counters are protected by the hugetlb_lock, but alloc_huge_page has a corner case where it can decrement the counter outside of the lock. This could lead to a corrupted value of h->resv_huge_pages, which we have observed on our systems. Take the hugetlb_lock before decrementing h->resv_huge_pages to avoid a potential race.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysisunknown

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This is a Linux kernel race condition in huge page accounting. A counter tracking reserved huge pages can be decremented without the expected lock, potentially corrupting reservation state. The bundle does not show CVSS, practical impact, or active exploitation, so urgency depends on whether affected Linux kernels and hugetlb usage exist in your estate.

Executive priority

Treat as a targeted kernel maintenance item, not an emergency, unless critical workloads depend on huge pages and run affected kernels. Track vendor patches and include it in normal kernel update cycles.

Technical view

The issue is in mm/hugetlb: alloc_huge_page can decrement h->resv_huge_pages outside hugetlb_lock, while h->*_huge_pages counters are lock-protected. The upstream resolution takes hugetlb_lock before decrementing h->resv_huge_pages to prevent a race and corrupted counter value.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to systems running affected Linux kernel versions listed in the CVE data, especially where hugetlb or reserved huge pages are used. The source bundle does not identify specific distributions, appliances, cloud images, or container runtimes as affected.

Exploitation context

No active exploitation is supported by the supplied sources. The CVE is not marked KEV, and the bundle provides no public exploit, attacker prerequisites, or demonstrated security impact beyond observed counter corruption.

Researcher notes

Evidence is narrow: the source describes a locking defect and observed h->resv_huge_pages corruption, but not privilege boundaries, denial-of-service behavior, or exploitability. Published date is 2025-09-15 and updated date is 2026-05-11 in the bundle.

Mitigation direction

  • Apply a kernel update containing the referenced stable hugetlb locking fix.
  • Check your Linux distribution advisory for CVE-2022-50285 package status.
  • Prioritize hosts that use hugetlb or reserved huge pages.
  • Follow vendor guidance if no fixed package is yet available.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux kernel versions across servers, images, and appliances.
  • Check whether hugetlb or huge page reservations are enabled.
  • Confirm patched kernels include the referenced stable commit or vendor backport.
  • Review kernel/package changelogs for CVE-2022-50285 or the hugetlb fix.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
10

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

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CVE-2022-50285 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
0ADP providers
9Source links

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinuxa88c769548047b21f76fd71e04b6a3300ff17160, a88c769548047b21f76fd71e04b6a3300ff17160, a88c769548047b21f76fd71e04b6a3300ff17160, a88c769548047b21f76fd71e04b6a3300ff17160, a88c769548047b21f76fd71e04b6a3300ff17160, a88c769548047b21f76fd71e04b6a3300ff17160, a88c769548047b21f76fd71e04b6a3300ff17160, a88c769548047b21f76fd71e04b6a3300ff17160, 3f5fae4d1a3189d95b02b4b45e1218df147122bcunaffected
LinuxLinux4.4, 0, 4.9.332, 4.14.298, 4.19.264, 5.4.223, 5.10.153, 5.15.76, 6.0.6, 6.1affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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