Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2021-47590

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-06-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.15.11 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: mptcp: fix deadlock in __mptcp_push_pending() __mptcp_push_pending() may call mptcp_flush_join_list() with subflow socket lock held. If such call hits mptcp_sockopt_sync_all() then subsequently __mptcp_sockopt_sync() could try to lock the subflow socket for itself, causing a deadlock. sysrq: Show Blocked State task:ss-server state:D stack: 0 pid: 938 ppid: 1 flags:0x00000000 Call Trace: <TASK> __schedule+0x2d6/0x10c0 ? __mod_memcg_state+0x4d/0x70 ? csum_partial+0xd/0x20 ? _raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0x26/0x50 schedule+0x4e/0xc0 __lock_sock+0x69/0x90 ? do_wait_intr_irq+0xa0/0xa0 __lock_sock_fast+0x35/0x50 mptcp_sockopt_sync_all+0x38/0xc0 __mptcp_push_pending+0x105/0x200 mptcp_sendmsg+0x466/0x490 sock_sendmsg+0x57/0x60 __sys_sendto+0xf0/0x160 ? do_wait_intr_irq+0xa0/0xa0 ? fpregs_restore_userregs+0x12/0xd0 __x64_sys_sendto+0x20/0x30 do_syscall_64+0x38/0x90 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae RIP: 0033:0x7f9ba546c2d0 RSP: 002b:00007ffdc3b762d8 EFLAGS: 00000246 ORIG_RAX: 000000000000002c RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 00007f9ba56c8060 RCX: 00007f9ba546c2d0 RDX: 000000000000077a RSI: 0000000000e5e180 RDI: 0000000000000234 RBP: 0000000000cc57f0 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000000 R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000246 R12: 00007f9ba56c8060 R13: 0000000000b6ba60 R14: 0000000000cc7840 R15: 41d8685b1d7901b8 </TASK> Fix the issue by using __mptcp_flush_join_list() instead of plain mptcp_flush_join_list() inside __mptcp_push_pending(), as suggested by Florian. The sockopt sync will be deferred to the workqueue.

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:>= 5.13, < 5.15.11

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 5.15.11 or later
Fixed in 5.15.11
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 5.15.11 or later

  1. Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 5.15.11 or a later stable release to resolve the deadlock vulnerability in MPTCP's __mptcp_push_pending() function.
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require system reboots and could have compatibility implications with existing system configurations; test thoroughly in non-production environments first.

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

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $1,600. Get the upgrade done

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-47590 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-47590 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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