Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2021-47542
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: net: qlogic: qlcnic: Fix a NULL pointer dereference in qlcnic_83xx_add_rings() In qlcnic_83xx_add_rings(), the indirect function of ahw->hw_ops->alloc_mbx_args will be called to allocate memory for cmd.req.arg, and there is a dereference of it in qlcnic_83xx_add_rings(), which could lead to a NULL pointer dereference on failure of the indirect function like qlcnic_83xx_alloc_mbx_args(). Fix this bug by adding a check of alloc_mbx_args(), this patch imitates the logic of mbx_cmd()'s failure handling. This bug was found by a static analyzer. The analysis employs differential checking to identify inconsistent security operations (e.g., checks or kfrees) between two code paths and confirms that the inconsistent operations are not recovered in the current function or the callers, so they constitute bugs. Note that, as a bug found by static analysis, it can be a false positive or hard to trigger. Multiple researchers have cross-reviewed the bug. Builds with CONFIG_QLCNIC=m show no new warnings, and our static analyzer no longer warns about this code.
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 analysisThe code follows a pointer that is null, crashing the process. An attacker who can reliably trigger it turns the crash into a denial of service. The fix is checking for null before use and handling the failure path gracefully.
General guidance for the null pointer dereference 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
>= 3.9, < 4.4.294>= 4.5, < 4.9.292>= 4.10, < 4.14.257>= 4.15, < 4.19.220>= 4.20, < 5.4.164>= 5.5, < 5.10.84>= 5.11, < 5.15.7CVSS 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 · scoped4.4.2944.9.2924.14.257
4.4.294 (for 4.4.x), 4.9.292 (for 4.9.x), 4.14.257 (for 4.14.x), or 4.19.220 (for 4.19.x)
- Obtain the kernel source for your affected version (e.g., from kernel.org or your distribution's kernel source package)
- Download the fix commit from https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/15fa12c119f869173f9b710cbe6a4a14071d2105
- Apply the patch to your kernel source tree using 'git am' or by manually applying the diff
- Recompile the kernel with CONFIG_QLCNIC=m or CONFIG_QLCNIC=y (as appropriate for your configuration)
- Reboot the system with the new kernel
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-2021-47542 — 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-2021-47542 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data