CVE-2022-50286

  • Published: 2025-09-15T15:15:39.790

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

ext4: fix delayed allocation bug in ext4_clu_mapped for bigalloc + inline

When converting files with inline data to extents, delayed allocations
made on a file system created with both the bigalloc and inline options
can result in invalid extent status cache content, incorrect reserved
cluster counts, kernel memory leaks, and potential kernel panics.

With bigalloc, the code that determines whether a block must be
delayed allocated searches the extent tree to see if that block maps
to a previously allocated cluster. If not, the block is delayed
allocated, and otherwise, it isn’t. However, if the inline option is
also used, and if the file containing the block is marked as able to
store data inline, there isn’t a valid extent tree associated with
the file. The current code in ext4_clu_mapped() calls
ext4_find_extent() to search the non-existent tree for a previously
allocated cluster anyway, which typically finds nothing, as desired.
However, a side effect of the search can be to cache invalid content
from the non-existent tree (garbage) in the extent status tree,
including bogus entries in the pending reservation tree.

To fix this, avoid searching the extent tree when allocating blocks
for bigalloc + inline files that are being converted from inline to
extent mapped.

Related CVE by CWE

No related CWE found.

Top CVE for Vendor

No vendor taxonomy on this entry.

Recently Exploited Similar Vulnerabilities

No recent KEV-listed items for this vendor/product.

How to fix CVE-2022-50286

CVE-2022-50286 is a unknown severity vulnerability affecting the affected product.

Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: fix delayed allocation bug in ext4_clu_mapped for bigalloc + inline When converting files with inline data to extents, delayed allocations made on a file system created with both the bigalloc and inline options can result in invalid extent status cache content, incorrect reserved cluster […]

Exploit Difficulty: HARD
⏱️ Time to exploit: > 4 hours
🛠️ Required skills: Advanced security expertise
💰 Public exploits: Rare or not public

How to Fix:

1 Identify affected systems

- Check if you're running the affected product

2 Immediate actions

- Update to the latest patched version
- If patching is not immediately possible: restrict network exposure, apply least-privilege access

3 Verification

- Test the fix in a staging environment first
- Review logs for signs of exploitation
- Monitor for IOCs (Indicators of Compromise)

4 Long-term prevention

- Enable automatic security updates
- Set up vulnerability monitoring
- Review and harden security configurations

Exploit Difficulty Assessment

HARD
⏱️ Time to Exploit: > 4 hours
🛠️ Skills Required: Advanced security expertise
💰 Public Exploits: Rare or not public

Vulnerability Timeline

Sep 15, 2025
Vulnerability Published

CVE details first published to NVD database

Nov 12, 2025
Imported to Database

Added to this CVE tracking system

Detection Rules & IOCs

No specific detection rules generated for this vulnerability type.

No vendor/product data available.

Exit mobile version