CVE-2021-46988
5.5 · MEDIUMOverview
CVE-2021-46988 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on February 28, 2024 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
Technical Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
userfaultfd: release page in error path to avoid BUG_ON
Consider the following sequence of events:
1. Userspace issues a UFFD ioctl, which ends up calling into
shmem_mfill_atomic_pte(). We successfully account the blocks, we
shmem_alloc_page(), but then the copy_from_user() fails. We return
-ENOENT. We don't release the page we allocated.
2. Our caller detects this error code, tries the copy_from_user() after
dropping the mmap_lock, and retries, calling back into
shmem_mfill_atomic_pte().
3. Meanwhile, let's say another process filled up the tmpfs being used.
4. So shmem_mfill_atomic_pte() fails to account blocks this time, and
immediately returns - without releasing the page.
This triggers a BUG_ON in our caller, which asserts that the page
should always be consumed, unless -ENOENT is returned.
To fix this, detect if we have such a "dangling" page when accounting
fails, and if so, release it bef
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from linux. Update linux_kernel to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 4.11, < 4.14.233 | Affected |
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2021-46988?
CVE-2021-46988 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on February 28, 2024 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2021-46988?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2021-46988?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from linux. Update linux_kernel to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2021-46988?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2021-46988 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
How CyberStrike Helps
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