CVE-2022-49225 is a vulnerability identified in the Linux kernel specifically related to the mt76 wireless driver, which supports MediaTek Wi-Fi chipsets, notably the mt7921s device. The issue pertains to a potential memory leak in the function mt7921_load_patch, which is responsible for loading firmware patches to the wireless device. The vulnerability arises because the firmware data allocated during this process is not always properly released, leading to a possible memory leak. The fix involves ensuring that the firmware data is always released at the end of the mt7921_load_patch routine, preventing the leak. While the vulnerability does not directly indicate a buffer overflow or code execution flaw, memory leaks can degrade system stability and performance over time, potentially leading to denial of service (DoS) conditions if exploited or triggered repeatedly. The affected versions are specific commits of the Linux kernel source, implying that this issue is present in certain kernel builds prior to the patch. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time, and no CVSS score has been assigned. The vulnerability is technical and low-level, affecting the wireless driver firmware loading process in Linux kernels that include the mt76 driver for mt7921s chipsets.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability is primarily related to system stability and availability. Since the flaw causes a memory leak in the wireless driver, affected systems may experience gradual resource exhaustion, leading to degraded wireless performance or eventual system crashes if the leak accumulates significantly. This can disrupt network connectivity, impacting business operations that rely on stable Wi-Fi connections, especially in environments with many devices using MediaTek mt7921s chipsets. However, the vulnerability does not appear to allow privilege escalation, remote code execution, or direct compromise of confidentiality or integrity. Therefore, the risk is more operational than data-centric. Organizations with large deployments of Linux-based systems using affected wireless hardware—such as enterprise servers, network infrastructure devices, or employee workstations—may see intermittent connectivity issues or require more frequent reboots to maintain stability. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but unpatched systems remain vulnerable to potential future exploitation or cumulative performance degradation.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should prioritize updating their Linux kernel to a version that includes the patch fixing CVE-2022-49225. Specifically, ensure that the kernel version incorporates the fix that guarantees firmware data is released after the mt7921_load_patch routine completes. System administrators should audit their environments to identify devices using the mt76 driver with the mt7921s chipset and verify kernel versions. For environments where immediate patching is not feasible, monitoring system memory usage related to wireless drivers and scheduling regular system reboots can help mitigate the impact of memory leaks. Additionally, organizations should maintain robust patch management processes to quickly apply kernel updates. Since this vulnerability affects firmware loading, ensuring firmware images are from trusted sources and verifying integrity can reduce risks related to firmware manipulation, although this is not directly related to the memory leak. Finally, maintaining comprehensive logging and alerting on wireless driver errors can provide early warning signs of issues stemming from this vulnerability.