CVE-2022-50863

In the Linux kernel's rtw89 WiFi driver, an allocated skb (socket buffer) is not freed when the device enters power saving mode. This omission leads to a gradual memory leak over time.

The vulnerability is triggerable by a local user or process that can control the wireless interface's power management state. No special privileges beyond network access may be required, as power saving transitions can occur automatically.

Repeated power saving transitions cause the driver to leak memory, eventually exhausting system memory and leading to denial of service (system hang or crash).

The fix was applied in Linux kernel stable updates, specifically committing the change to free the unused skb in the rtw89 driver. Users should update to a patched kernel version.