CVE-2022-50763: 
Linux Kernel vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2022-50763 is an integer overflow vulnerability in the Linux kernel's crypto: marvell/octeontx driver that can be triggered when processing firmware files. The flaw arises from two overflow-prone arithmetic expressions: code_length * 2 and round_up(ucode_size, 16) + sizeof(), both of which can wrap around if the code_length value from the firmware file is sufficiently large. The vulnerability was published on December 24, 2025, and affects Linux kernel versions from 5.7 up to the patched stable releases. No CVSS base score has been assigned at this time (Feedly, EUVD).

The root cause is an integer overflow (CWE-190) in the Marvell OcteonTX crypto driver within the Linux kernel. When loading microcode from a firmware file, the driver uses the untrusted code_length field to compute buffer sizes without adequate bounds checking: the expression code_length * 2 can overflow an integer type, and round_up(ucode_size, 16) + sizeof() is similarly vulnerable to overflow, potentially resulting in an undersized heap allocation. The Smatch static analysis tool flagged these paths as handling untrusted filesystem data without proper capping. Exploitation requires the ability to supply a malicious or crafted firmware file to the affected driver (Feedly).

If exploited, the integer overflows could lead to heap buffer overflows due to undersized memory allocations, potentially resulting in kernel memory corruption. Consequences may include system crashes (denial of service) or, in more severe scenarios, privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution in kernel context. The practical impact is constrained by the requirement to supply a crafted firmware file, limiting the attack surface primarily to scenarios involving untrusted firmware or local privilege abuse (Feedly).

The Linux kernel stable tree has released patches addressing this vulnerability across multiple stable branches. Fixed versions include Linux 5.10.150, 5.15.75, 5.19.17, 6.0.3, and 6.1 and later. Administrators should update to the appropriate patched kernel version for their distribution. SUSE has also issued kernel security advisories (e.g., SUSE-2026-0263-1, SUSE-2026-0317-1, SUSE-2026-0411-1) incorporating these fixes (Feedly, Linux Security SUSE).