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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2021-47038

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.10.37 / 5.11.21 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: avoid deadlock between hci_dev->lock and socket lock Commit eab2404ba798 ("Bluetooth: Add BT_PHY socket option") added a dependency between socket lock and hci_dev->lock that could lead to deadlock. It turns out that hci_conn_get_phy() is not in any way relying on hdev being immutable during the runtime of this function, neither does it even look at any of the members of hdev, and as such there is no need to hold that lock. This fixes the lockdep splat below: ====================================================== WARNING: possible circular locking dependency detected 5.12.0-rc1-00026-g73d464503354 #10 Not tainted ------------------------------------------------------ bluetoothd/1118 is trying to acquire lock: ffff8f078383c078 (&hdev->lock){+.+.}-{3:3}, at: hci_conn_get_phy+0x1c/0x150 [bluetooth] but task is already holding lock: ffff8f07e831d920 (sk_lock-AF_BLUETOOTH-BTPROTO_L2CAP){+.+.}-{0:0}, at: l2cap_sock_getsockopt+0x8b/0x610 which lock already depends on the new lock. the existing dependency chain (in reverse order) is: -> #3 (sk_lock-AF_BLUETOOTH-BTPROTO_L2CAP){+.+.}-{0:0}: lock_sock_nested+0x72/0xa0 l2cap_sock_ready_cb+0x18/0x70 [bluetooth] l2cap_config_rsp+0x27a/0x520 [bluetooth] l2cap_sig_channel+0x658/0x1330 [bluetooth] l2cap_recv_frame+0x1ba/0x310 [bluetooth] hci_rx_work+0x1cc/0x640 [bluetooth] process_one_work+0x244/0x5f0 worker_thread+0x3c/0x380 kthread+0x13e/0x160 ret_from_fork+0x22/0x30 -> #2 (&chan->lock#2/1){+.+.}-{3:3}: __mutex_lock+0xa3/0xa10 l2cap_chan_connect+0x33a/0x940 [bluetooth] l2cap_sock_connect+0x141/0x2a0 [bluetooth] __sys_connect+0x9b/0xc0 __x64_sys_connect+0x16/0x20 do_syscall_64+0x33/0x80 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae -> #1 (&conn->chan_lock){+.+.}-{3:3}: __mutex_lock+0xa3/0xa10 l2cap_chan_connect+0x322/0x940 [bluetooth] l2cap_sock_connect+0x141/0x2a0 [bluetooth] __sys_connect+0x9b/0xc0 __x64_sys_connect+0x16/0x20 do_syscall_64+0x33/0x80 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae -> #0 (&hdev->lock){+.+.}-{3:3}: __lock_acquire+0x147a/0x1a50 lock_acquire+0x277/0x3d0 __mutex_lock+0xa3/0xa10 hci_conn_get_phy+0x1c/0x150 [bluetooth] l2cap_sock_getsockopt+0x5a9/0x610 [bluetooth] __sys_getsockopt+0xcc/0x200 __x64_sys_getsockopt+0x20/0x30 do_syscall_64+0x33/0x80 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae other info that might help us debug this: Chain exists of: &hdev->lock --> &chan->lock#2/1 --> sk_lock-AF_BLUETOOTH-BTPROTO_L2CAP Possible unsafe locking scenario: CPU0 CPU1 ---- ---- lock(sk_lock-AF_BLUETOOTH-BTPROTO_L2CAP); lock(&chan->lock#2/1); lock(sk_lock-AF_BLUETOOTH-BTPROTO_L2CAP); lock(&hdev->lock); *** DEADLOCK *** 1 lock held by bluetoothd/1118: #0: ffff8f07e831d920 (sk_lock-AF_BLUETOOTH-BTPROTO_L2CAP){+.+.}-{0:0}, at: l2cap_sock_getsockopt+0x8b/0x610 [bluetooth] stack backtrace: CPU: 3 PID: 1118 Comm: bluetoothd Not tainted 5.12.0-rc1-00026-g73d464503354 #10 Hardware name: LENOVO 20K5S22R00/20K5S22R00, BIOS R0IET38W (1.16 ) 05/31/2017 Call Trace: dump_stack+0x7f/0xa1 check_noncircular+0x105/0x120 ? __lock_acquire+0x147a/0x1a50 __lock_acquire+0x147a/0x1a50 lock_acquire+0x277/0x3d0 ? hci_conn_get_phy+0x1c/0x150 [bluetooth] ? __lock_acquire+0x2e1/0x1a50 ? lock_is_held_type+0xb4/0x120 ? hci_conn_get_phy+0x1c/0x150 [bluetooth] __mutex_lock+0xa3/0xa10 ? hci_conn_get_phy+0x1c/0x150 [bluetooth] ? lock_acquire+0x277/0x3d0 ? mark_held_locks+0x49/0x70 ? mark_held_locks+0x49/0x70 ? hci_conn_get_phy+0x1c/0x150 [bluetooth] hci_conn_get_phy+0x ---truncated---

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-667

Shared resources are accessed without correct locking, so concurrent operations interleave into inconsistent — and sometimes exploitable — states, or deadlock the service outright. These bugs are subtle and timing-dependent. The fix is correct, consistent locking or atomic operations around every shared resource.

General guidance for the improper locking class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 5.7, < 5.10.37>= 5.11, < 5.11.21>= 5.12, < 5.12.4

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.10.37 / 5.11.21 / 5.12.4 or later
Fixed in 5.10.375.11.215.12.4
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux kernel >= 5.10.37, >= 5.11.21, or >= 5.12.4 (depending on your current branch)

  1. 1. Identify the current running Linux kernel version using 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version'
  2. 2. Determine which kernel branch is in use (5.7-5.9, 5.10.x, 5.11.x, or 5.12.x)
  3. 3. Upgrade the kernel to a patched version: for 5.10.x branch upgrade to >=5.10.37, for 5.11.x branch upgrade to >=5.11.21, or for 5.12.x branch upgrade to >=5.12.4
  4. 4. Reboot the system to load the fixed kernel
  5. 5. Verify the fix is applied by checking 'uname -r' shows a patched version and testing Bluetooth functionality

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

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