CVE-2022-49675: tick/nohz: unexport __init-annotated tick_nohz_full_setup()

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2022-49675 is a medium (CVSS 5.5) Use of Uninitialized Resource vulnerability in linux. EPSS estimates a 0.28% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 20.6% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 26-02-2025
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 11-05-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tick/nohz: unexport __init-annotated tick_nohz_full_setup() EXPORT_SYMBOL and __init is a bad combination because the .init.text section is freed up after the initialization. Hence, modules cannot use symbols annotated __init. The access to a freed symbol may end up with kernel panic. modpost used to detect it, but it had been broken for a decade. Commit 28438794aba4 ("modpost: fix section mismatch check for exported init/exit sections") fixed it so modpost started to warn it again, then this showed up: MODPOST vmlinux.symvers WARNING: modpost: vmlinux.o(___ksymtab_gpl+tick_nohz_full_setup+0x0): Section mismatch in reference from the variable __ksymtab_tick_nohz_full_setup to the function .init.text:tick_nohz_full_setup() The symbol tick_nohz_full_setup is exported and annotated __init Fix this by removing the __init annotation of tick_nohz_full_setup or drop the export. Drop the export because tick_nohz_full_setup() is only called from the built-in code in kernel/sched/isolation.c.

• CWE-908Use of Uninitialized ResourceThe product uses or accesses a resource that has not been initialized.