CVE-2022-49174: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: fix ext4_mb_mark_bb() with flex_bg with fast_commit In case of flex

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: fix ext4_mb_mark_bb() with flex_bg with fast_commit In case of flex_bg feature (whic

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: fix ext4_mb_mark_bb() with flex_bg with fast_commit In case of flex_bg feature (which is by default enabled), extents for any given inode might span across blocks from two different block group. ext4_mb_mark_bb() only reads the buffer_head of block bitmap once for the starting block group, but it fails to read it again when the extent length boundary overflows to another block group. Then in this below loop it accesses memory beyond the block group bitmap buffer_head and results into a data abort. for (i = 0; i < clen; i++) if (!mb_test_bit(blkoff + i, bitmap_bh->b_data) == !state) already++; This patch adds this functionality for checking block group boundary in ext4_mb_mark_bb() and update the buffer_head(bitmap_bh) for every different block group. w/o this patch, I was easily able to hit a data access abort using Power platform. <...> [ 74.327662] EXT4-fs error (device loop3): ext4_mb_generate_buddy:1141: group 11, block bitmap and bg descriptor inconsistent: 21248 vs 23294 free clusters [ 74.533214] EXT4-fs (loop3): shut down requested (2) [ 74.536705] Aborting journal on device loop3-8.

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

What it means for a small business

Linux is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.28%, higher than 20% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

Website check: reads what your site runs from the outside (WordPress version, plugins it can see, old server software) and matches it against this database.
Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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