Memory Leak in Linux Kernel Affecting ath11k Driver

CVE-2022-50186

What is CVE-2022-50186?

The ath11k driver in the Linux kernel suffered from a vulnerability that resulted in a memory leak due to errors in the htc_tx_completion handling logic. Specifically, when an error occurs, the associated socket buffer (skb) is not properly freed, leading to memory not being reclaimed. This bug can potentially degrade system performance by consuming memory unnecessarily. The issue is resolved by ensuring that the skb is effectively freed when errors occur, particularly for endpoint IDs greater than or equal to ATH11K_HTC_EP_COUNT.

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