Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2021-47375
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 · uneditedIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: blktrace: Fix uaf in blk_trace access after removing by sysfs There is an use-after-free problem triggered by following process: P1(sda) P2(sdb) echo 0 > /sys/block/sdb/trace/enable blk_trace_remove_queue synchronize_rcu blk_trace_free relay_close rcu_read_lock __blk_add_trace trace_note_tsk (Iterate running_trace_list) relay_close_buf relay_destroy_buf kfree(buf) trace_note(sdb's bt) relay_reserve buf->offset <- nullptr deference (use-after-free) !!! rcu_read_unlock [ 502.714379] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000010 [ 502.715260] #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode [ 502.715903] #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page [ 502.716546] PGD 103984067 P4D 103984067 PUD 17592b067 PMD 0 [ 502.717252] Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP [ 502.720308] RIP: 0010:trace_note.isra.0+0x86/0x360 [ 502.732872] Call Trace: [ 502.733193] __blk_add_trace.cold+0x137/0x1a3 [ 502.733734] blk_add_trace_rq+0x7b/0xd0 [ 502.734207] blk_add_trace_rq_issue+0x54/0xa0 [ 502.734755] blk_mq_start_request+0xde/0x1b0 [ 502.735287] scsi_queue_rq+0x528/0x1140 ... [ 502.742704] sg_new_write.isra.0+0x16e/0x3e0 [ 502.747501] sg_ioctl+0x466/0x1100 Reproduce method: ioctl(/dev/sda, BLKTRACESETUP, blk_user_trace_setup[buf_size=127]) ioctl(/dev/sda, BLKTRACESTART) ioctl(/dev/sdb, BLKTRACESETUP, blk_user_trace_setup[buf_size=127]) ioctl(/dev/sdb, BLKTRACESTART) echo 0 > /sys/block/sdb/trace/enable & // Add delay(mdelay/msleep) before kernel enters blk_trace_free() ioctl$SG_IO(/dev/sda, SG_IO, ...) // Enters trace_note_tsk() after blk_trace_free() returned // Use mdelay in rcu region rather than msleep(which may schedule out) Remove blk_trace from running_list before calling blk_trace_free() by sysfs if blk_trace is at Blktrace_running state.
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 analysisMemory is used after it has been freed, so its contents — now potentially attacker-controlled — drive the program's behaviour. With careful heap grooming this becomes code execution. The fix requires disciplined ownership of memory and often a targeted rework of the object lifecycle.
General guidance for the use after free 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
>= 2.6.30, < 4.4.286>= 4.5, < 4.9.285>= 4.10, < 4.14.249>= 4.15, < 4.19.209>= 4.20, < 5.4.150>= 5.5, < 5.10.70>= 5.11, < 5.14.9= 5.15CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 · scoped4.4.2864.9.2854.14.249
4.4.286+ / 4.9.285+ / 4.14.249+ / 4.19.209+ (depending on kernel branch)
- Upgrade the Linux kernel to a version that includes the fix for CVE-2021-47375
- For kernel 4.4.y series: upgrade to 4.4.286 or later
- For kernel 4.9.y series: upgrade to 4.9.285 or later
- For kernel 4.14.y series: upgrade to 4.14.249 or later
- For kernel 4.19.y series: upgrade to 4.19.209 or later
- After kernel upgrade, reboot the system to apply the changes
- The fix moves removal of blk_trace from running_trace_list before calling blk_trace_free() when blk_trace is in Blktrace_running state, preventing the use-after-free condition
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-47375 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-47375 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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