Vulnerability · Published Jun 18, 2025 · Assigned by Linux
CVE-2022-50220usbnet: Fix linkwatch use-after-free on disconnect
High 7.8
In plain English
A high-severity security flaw in Linux from Linux. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.2% (higher than 16% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: usbnet: Fix linkwatch use-after-free on disconnect usbnet uses the work usbnet_deferred_kevent() to perform tasks which may sleep. On disconnect, completion of the work was originally awaited in ->ndo_stop(). But in 2003, that was moved to ->disconnect() by historic commit "[PATCH] USB: usbnet, prevent exotic rtnl deadlock": https://git.kernel.org/tglx/history/c/0f138bbfd83c The change was made because back then, the kernel's workqueue implementation did not allow waiting for a single work. One had to wait for completion of *all* work by calling flush_scheduled_work(), and that could deadlock when waiting for usbnet_deferred_kevent() with rtnl_mutex held in ->ndo_stop(). The commit solved one problem but created another: It causes a use-after-free in USB Ethernet drivers aqc111.c, asix_devices.c, ax88179_178a.c, ch9200.c and smsc75xx.c: * If the drivers receive a link change interrupt immediately before disconnect, they raise EVENT_LINK_RESET in their (non-sleepable) ->status() callback and schedule usbnet_deferred_kevent(). * usbnet_deferred_kevent() invokes the driver's ->link_reset() callback, which calls netif_carrier_{on,off}(). * That in turn schedules the work linkwatch_event(). Because usbnet_deferred_kevent() is awaited after unregister_netdev(), netif_carrier_{on,off}() may operate on an unregistered netdev and linkwatch_event() may run after free_netdev(), causing a use-after-free. In 2010, usbnet was changed to only wait for a single instance of usbnet_deferred_kevent() instead of *all* work by commit 23f333a2bfaf ("drivers/net: don't use flush_scheduled_work()"). Unfortunately the commit neglected to move the wait back to ->ndo_stop(). Rectify that omission at long last.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | linux | 6.0.2-1 | DEBIAN-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Debian:13 | linux | 6.0.2-1 | DEBIAN-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Debian:14 | linux | 6.0.2-1 | DEBIAN-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux | 5.15.0-53.59 | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-allwinner-5.19 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-aws | 5.15.0-1023.27 | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-aws-5.19 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-aws-6.2 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-aws-6.5 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-azure | 5.15.0-1023.29 | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-azure-5.19 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-azure-6.2 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-azure-6.5 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-azure-fde | 5.15.0-1024.30.1 | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-azure-fde-5.19 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-azure-fde-6.2 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-gcp | 5.15.0-1022.29 | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-gcp-5.19 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-gcp-6.2 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-gcp-6.5 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-gke | 5.15.0-1020.25 | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-gkeop | 5.15.0-1008.12 | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-hwe-5.19 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-hwe-6.2 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-hwe-6.5 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-ibm | 5.15.0-1018.21 | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-intel-iot-realtime | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-intel-iotg | 5.15.0-1018.23 | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-kvm | 5.15.0-1021.26 | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-lowlatency | 5.15.0-53.59 | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.19 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.2 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.5 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-nvidia | 5.15.0-1015.15 | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-nvidia-6.2 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-nvidia-6.5 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-oem-5.17 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-oem-6.0 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-oem-6.1 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-oem-6.5 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-oracle | 5.15.0-1022.28 | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-oracle-6.5 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-raspi | 5.15.0-1018.20 | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | linux-raspi-realtime | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-realtime | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | linux-realtime | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-riscv | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | linux-riscv | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-riscv-5.19 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-riscv-6.5 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-starfive-5.19 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-starfive-6.2 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | linux-starfive-6.5 | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2022-50220 |
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 23f333a2bfafba80339315b724808982a9de57d9 – before d2d6b530d89b0a912148018027386aa049f0a30923f333a2bfafba80339315b724808982a9de57d9 – before e2a521a7dcc463c5017b4426ca0804e151faeff723f333a2bfafba80339315b724808982a9de57d9 – before 7f77dcbc030c2faa6d8e8a594985eeb34018409e23f333a2bfafba80339315b724808982a9de57d9 – before 8b4588b8b00b299be16a35be67b331d8fdba03f323f333a2bfafba80339315b724808982a9de57d9 – before 135199a2edd459d2b123144efcd7f9bcd95128e423f333a2bfafba80339315b724808982a9de57d9 – before 635fd8953e4309b54ca6a81bed1d4a87668694f423f333a2bfafba80339315b724808982a9de57d9 – before d49bb8cf9bfaa06aa527eb30f1a52a071da2e32f23f333a2bfafba80339315b724808982a9de57d9 – before db3b738ae5f726204876f4303c49cfdf4311403f |
| Linux | Linux | 2.6.38 |
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d2d6b530d89b0a912148018027386aa049f0a309
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e2a521a7dcc463c5017b4426ca0804e151faeff7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7f77dcbc030c2faa6d8e8a594985eeb34018409e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8b4588b8b00b299be16a35be67b331d8fdba03f3
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/135199a2edd459d2b123144efcd7f9bcd95128e4
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/635fd8953e4309b54ca6a81bed1d4a87668694f4
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d49bb8cf9bfaa06aa527eb30f1a52a071da2e32f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/db3b738ae5f726204876f4303c49cfdf4311403f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a69e617e533edddf3fa3123149900f36e0a6dc74