{"cve":"CVE-2022-50220","nvd":{"published":"2025-06-18T11:15:52.973","modified":"2026-06-17T05:23:00.390","status":"Analyzed","description":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nusbnet: Fix linkwatch use-after-free on disconnect\n\nusbnet uses the work usbnet_deferred_kevent() to perform tasks which may\nsleep.  On disconnect, completion of the work was originally awaited in\n->ndo_stop().  But in 2003, that was moved to ->disconnect() by historic\ncommit \"[PATCH] USB: usbnet, prevent exotic rtnl deadlock\":\n\n  https://git.kernel.org/tglx/history/c/0f138bbfd83c\n\nThe change was made because back then, the kernel's workqueue\nimplementation did not allow waiting for a single work.  One had to wait\nfor completion of *all* work by calling flush_scheduled_work(), and that\ncould deadlock when waiting for usbnet_deferred_kevent() with rtnl_mutex\nheld in ->ndo_stop().\n\nThe commit solved one problem but created another:  It causes a\nuse-after-free in USB Ethernet drivers aqc111.c, asix_devices.c,\nax88179_178a.c, ch9200.c and smsc75xx.c:\n\n* If the drivers receive a link change interrupt immediately before\n  disconnect, they raise EVENT_LINK_RESET in their (non-sleepable)\n  ->status() callback and schedule usbnet_deferred_kevent().\n* usbnet_deferred_kevent() invokes the driver's ->link_reset() callback,\n  which calls netif_carrier_{on,off}().\n* That in turn schedules the work linkwatch_event().\n\nBecause usbnet_deferred_kevent() is awaited after unregister_netdev(),\nnetif_carrier_{on,off}() may operate on an unregistered netdev and\nlinkwatch_event() may run after free_netdev(), causing a use-after-free.\n\nIn 2010, usbnet was changed to only wait for a single instance of\nusbnet_deferred_kevent() instead of *all* work by commit 23f333a2bfaf\n(\"drivers/net: don't use flush_scheduled_work()\").\n\nUnfortunately the commit neglected to move the wait back to\n->ndo_stop().  Rectify that omission at long last.","cvss_v4":null,"cvss_v3":{"version":"3.1","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","score":7.8},"cwes":["CWE-416"],"references":["https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/135199a2edd459d2b123144efcd7f9bcd95128e4","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/635fd8953e4309b54ca6a81bed1d4a87668694f4","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7f77dcbc030c2faa6d8e8a594985eeb34018409e","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8b4588b8b00b299be16a35be67b331d8fdba03f3","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a69e617e533edddf3fa3123149900f36e0a6dc74"],"products":["linux:linux_kernel"],"source":"nvd","synced_at":"2026-10-19T22:03:23.287444849+00:00"},"epss":{"cve":"CVE-2022-50220","score":0.00246,"percentile":0.15937,"date":"2026-10-31"},"kev":null,"osv":[],"attribution":["This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.","EPSS scores: FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System, https://www.first.org/epss","Known exploited vulnerabilities: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog","Package advisories: OSV (https://osv.dev), from the GitHub Advisory Database, PyPA, Go, RustSec and other ecosystem databases, under CC-BY 4.0 or CC0","CVE records: the CVE Program's CVE List (https://www.cve.org), under its terms of use (https://www.cve.org/Legal/TermsOfUse). CVE is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation; this product is not affiliated with the CVE Program."]}