CVE-2022-50403

A vulnerability was identified in the Linux kernel's ext4 filesystem implementation due to a flaw in how it processes filesystem metadata. An attacker with local privileges could create a malicious ext4 filesystem image to trigger this issue. When the system attempts to mount this malicious image, the kernel performs an incorrect calculation. This action results in unpredictable system behavior.

This vulnerability is rated as Moderate severity rather than Important because exploitation requires local access and elevated privileges (such as CAP_SYS_ADMIN) to mount crafted ext4 file systems on default configurations. In Red Hat Enterprise Linux, XFS is the default filesystem, reducing exposure for typical installations that do not load or use ext4. The issue arises from undefined behavior during filesystem flag validation, primarily posing a risk to system stability and availability rather than facilitating direct privilege escalation.

The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.