CVE-2022-48753

What it actually does

Missing kobject_put() after kobject_init_and_add() failure in disk_register_independent_access_ranges causes a memory leak of independent access range structures.

Why it matters to the business

Gradual kernel memory exhaustion on systems repeatedly registering disk access ranges can lead to performance degradation, instability, or crashes over time, especially in storage-heavy Linux environments.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker with local access triggers repeated disk registration operations that hit the error path in kobject_init_and_add(), accumulating unreleased kobjects without authentication or special privileges beyond normal block device interaction.

How to fix it

Update the Linux kernel to version 5.16.5 or later commits containing fe4214a07e0b53d2af711f57519e33739c5df23f; rebuild and reboot affected systems.

How to confirm the fix worked

Confirm kernel version is at or above the fixed release; inspect source for presence of kobject_put() call after kobject_init_and_add() error handling in disk_register_independent_access_ranges.

Typical attack path

1. Obtain local access to a Linux system
2. Perform operations that invoke disk_register_independent_access_ranges and force kobject_init_and_add failure
3. Repeat to accumulate leaked memory
4. Monitor for system-wide memory pressure or OOM conditions

How to detect it

Review kernel logs for repeated disk registration failures; use memory profiling tools to detect unreleased kobjects related to independent access ranges; no specific remote indicators exist.

What your security team should do

• Prioritize patching production storage servers and cloud instances running affected kernels
• Monitor memory usage trends on Linux hosts with frequent block device changes
• Apply kernel updates during next maintenance window given the 849-day publication age