CVE-2022-50677: 
Linux Kernel vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2022-50677 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) subsystem, specifically within the _ipmi_destroy_user() function. The bug occurs because intf_free() frees the intf pointer, which is then incorrectly dereferenced on the subsequent line. The vulnerability was published on December 9, 2025, and affects Linux kernel versions from 5.5 up through multiple stable branches prior to their respective patches. It carries an estimated CVSS severity of Medium and an EPSS score of approximately 0.024% (Feedly).

The root cause is a use-after-free (CWE-416) in the Linux kernel's IPMI driver. In _ipmi_destroy_user(), the intf_free() function releases the memory associated with the intf pointer; however, the code immediately following this call attempts to dereference the now-freed intf pointer, resulting in undefined behavior and a potential kernel memory corruption condition. Exploitation would require local access to a system with the IPMI driver loaded and the ability to trigger the user destruction code path. Fixes were applied across multiple stable kernel branches via commits to the kernel stable tree (Kernel Git).

Successful exploitation of this use-after-free vulnerability could lead to kernel memory corruption, potentially causing a system crash (denial of service) or, in more sophisticated scenarios, privilege escalation if an attacker can control the freed memory region before it is dereferenced. The vulnerability is confined to systems with the IPMI kernel module loaded, which is common in server environments for out-of-band management. Data confidentiality and integrity may also be at risk if the freed memory is reused with attacker-controlled content (Feedly).

No public proof-of-concept exploit code or in-the-wild exploitation has been reported for CVE-2022-50677. The EPSS score is approximately 0.024%, indicating a very low probability of exploitation in the near term. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. Detection coverage exists via Qualys (detection ID 760644) and Tenable (plugin 278067) (Feedly, Tenable).

The vulnerability has been patched across multiple Linux kernel stable branches. Fixed versions include: 4.19.270, 5.4.229, 5.10.163, 5.15.87, 6.0.18, 6.1.4, and 6.2. Administrators should update their Linux kernel to one of these patched versions or later. As a temporary workaround on systems where IPMI functionality is not required, unloading or blacklisting the IPMI kernel module (ipmi_si, ipmi_msghandler) can eliminate the attack surface (Kernel Git, Feedly).

SUSE has issued kernel security advisories (SUSE-2026-0263-1, SUSE-2026-0317-1, SUSE-2026-0411-1) addressing CVE-2022-50677 among other kernel vulnerabilities. Tenable has published detection plugins for this CVE. No notable independent researcher commentary or significant social media discussion has been identified (Linux Security, Tenable).