CVE-2022-50220

High

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.

SeverityHigh
CVSS7.8
Exploit probability—
ProductLinux Kernel
PublishedJun 18, 2025
First seenJun 18, 2025

How to fix

Affected products

ProductAffected versionsFixed in
linux linux_kernel2.6.38 ≤ v < 4.9.326, 4.10 ≤ v < 4.14.291, 4.15 ≤ v < 4.19.256, 4.20 ≤ v < 5.4.211, 5.5 ≤ v < 5.10.137, 5.11 ≤ v < 5.15.61, 5.16 ≤ v < 5.18.18, 5.19 ≤ v < 5.19.24.9.326, 4.14.291, 4.19.256, 5.4.211, 5.10.137, 5.15.61, 5.18.18, 5.19.2

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