CVE-2022-50845: ext4: fix inode leak in ext4_xattr_inode_create() on an error path

Severity: unknown
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.3% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2025-12-30 · updated 2026-06-17

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: fix inode leak in ext4_xattr_inode_create() on an error path There is issue as follows when do setxattr with inject fault: [localhost]# fsck.ext4 -fn /dev/sda e2fsck 1.46.6-rc1 (12-Sep-2022) Pass 1: Checking inodes, blocks, and sizes Pass 2: Checking directory structure Pass 3: Checking directory connectivity Pass 4: Checking reference counts Unattached zero-length inode 15. Clear? no Unattached inode 15 Connect to /lost+found? no Pass 5: Checking group summary information /dev/sda: ********** WARNING: Filesystem still has errors ********** /dev/sda: 15/655360 files (0.0% non-contiguous), 66755/2621440 blocks This occurs in 'ext4_xattr_inode_create()'. If 'ext4_mark_inode_dirty()' fails, dropping i_nlink of the inode is needed. Or will lead to inode leak.

Affected products

Linux kernel: 4.13 — fixed in 6.2

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 6.2. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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