Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2021-47606

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-06-19

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.4.296 / 4.9.294 or later.

See remediation →

57/100

Remediation priority · Elevated

Zero-click Patch available

Official description

NVD · unedited

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: netlink: af_netlink: Prevent empty skb by adding a check on len. Adding a check on len parameter to avoid empty skb. This prevents a division error in netem_enqueue function which is caused when skb->len=0 and skb->data_len=0 in the randomized corruption step as shown below. skb->data[prandom_u32() % skb_headlen(skb)] ^= 1<<(prandom_u32() % 8); Crash Report: [ 343.170349] netdevsim netdevsim0 netdevsim3: set [1, 0] type 2 family 0 port 6081 - 0 [ 343.216110] netem: version 1.3 [ 343.235841] divide error: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP KASAN NOPTI [ 343.236680] CPU: 3 PID: 4288 Comm: reproducer Not tainted 5.16.0-rc1+ [ 343.237569] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.11.0-2.el7 04/01/2014 [ 343.238707] RIP: 0010:netem_enqueue+0x1590/0x33c0 [sch_netem] [ 343.239499] Code: 89 85 58 ff ff ff e8 5f 5d e9 d3 48 8b b5 48 ff ff ff 8b 8d 50 ff ff ff 8b 85 58 ff ff ff 48 8b bd 70 ff ff ff 31 d2 2b 4f 74 <f7> f1 48 b8 00 00 00 00 00 fc ff df 49 01 d5 4c 89 e9 48 c1 e9 03 [ 343.241883] RSP: 0018:ffff88800bcd7368 EFLAGS: 00010246 [ 343.242589] RAX: 00000000ba7c0a9c RBX: 0000000000000001 RCX: 0000000000000000 [ 343.243542] RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: ffff88800f8edb10 RDI: ffff88800f8eda40 [ 343.244474] RBP: ffff88800bcd7458 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: ffffffff94fb8445 [ 343.245403] R10: ffffffff94fb8336 R11: ffffffff94fb8445 R12: 0000000000000000 [ 343.246355] R13: ffff88800a5a7000 R14: ffff88800a5b5800 R15: 0000000000000020 [ 343.247291] FS: 00007fdde2bd7700(0000) GS:ffff888109780000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 [ 343.248350] CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 [ 343.249120] CR2: 00000000200000c0 CR3: 000000000ef4c000 CR4: 00000000000006e0 [ 343.250076] Call Trace: [ 343.250423] <TASK> [ 343.250713] ? memcpy+0x4d/0x60 [ 343.251162] ? netem_init+0xa0/0xa0 [sch_netem] [ 343.251795] ? __sanitizer_cov_trace_pc+0x21/0x60 [ 343.252443] netem_enqueue+0xe28/0x33c0 [sch_netem] [ 343.253102] ? stack_trace_save+0x87/0xb0 [ 343.253655] ? filter_irq_stacks+0xb0/0xb0 [ 343.254220] ? netem_init+0xa0/0xa0 [sch_netem] [ 343.254837] ? __kasan_check_write+0x14/0x20 [ 343.255418] ? _raw_spin_lock+0x88/0xd6 [ 343.255953] dev_qdisc_enqueue+0x50/0x180 [ 343.256508] __dev_queue_xmit+0x1a7e/0x3090 [ 343.257083] ? netdev_core_pick_tx+0x300/0x300 [ 343.257690] ? check_kcov_mode+0x10/0x40 [ 343.258219] ? _raw_spin_unlock_irqrestore+0x29/0x40 [ 343.258899] ? __kasan_init_slab_obj+0x24/0x30 [ 343.259529] ? setup_object.isra.71+0x23/0x90 [ 343.260121] ? new_slab+0x26e/0x4b0 [ 343.260609] ? kasan_poison+0x3a/0x50 [ 343.261118] ? kasan_unpoison+0x28/0x50 [ 343.261637] ? __kasan_slab_alloc+0x71/0x90 [ 343.262214] ? memcpy+0x4d/0x60 [ 343.262674] ? write_comp_data+0x2f/0x90 [ 343.263209] ? __kasan_check_write+0x14/0x20 [ 343.263802] ? __skb_clone+0x5d6/0x840 [ 343.264329] ? __sanitizer_cov_trace_pc+0x21/0x60 [ 343.264958] dev_queue_xmit+0x1c/0x20 [ 343.265470] netlink_deliver_tap+0x652/0x9c0 [ 343.266067] netlink_unicast+0x5a0/0x7f0 [ 343.266608] ? netlink_attachskb+0x860/0x860 [ 343.267183] ? __sanitizer_cov_trace_pc+0x21/0x60 [ 343.267820] ? write_comp_data+0x2f/0x90 [ 343.268367] netlink_sendmsg+0x922/0xe80 [ 343.268899] ? netlink_unicast+0x7f0/0x7f0 [ 343.269472] ? __sanitizer_cov_trace_pc+0x21/0x60 [ 343.270099] ? write_comp_data+0x2f/0x90 [ 343.270644] ? netlink_unicast+0x7f0/0x7f0 [ 343.271210] sock_sendmsg+0x155/0x190 [ 343.271721] ____sys_sendmsg+0x75f/0x8f0 [ 343.272262] ? kernel_sendmsg+0x60/0x60 [ 343.272788] ? write_comp_data+0x2f/0x90 [ 343.273332] ? write_comp_data+0x2f/0x90 [ 343.273869] ___sys_sendmsg+0x10f/0x190 [ 343.274405] ? sendmsg_copy_msghdr+0x80/0x80 [ 343.274984] ? slab_post_alloc_hook+0x70/0x230 [ 343.275597] ? futex_wait_setup+0x240/0x240 [ 343.276175] ? security_file_alloc+0x3e/0x170 [ 343.276779] ? write_comp_d ---truncated---

Technical summary

dbcve analysis

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Linux KernelOperating system

Affected:< 4.4.296>= 4.5, < 4.9.294>= 4.10, < 4.14.259>= 4.15, < 4.19.222>= 4.20, < 5.4.167>= 5.5, < 5.10.87>= 5.11, < 5.15.10= 5.16

CVSS breakdown

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

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.4.296 / 4.9.294 / 4.14.259 or later

Fixed in 4.4.2964.9.2944.14.259

Vendor patch git.kernel.org →

Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 4.4.296, 4.9.294, 4.14.259, or 4.19.222 (depending on your branch)

1. Identify the current running kernel version using 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version'
2. Based on the version, upgrade to one of the fixed releases: 4.4.296, 4.9.294, 4.14.259, or 4.19.222
3. For Ubuntu/Debian: Run 'sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade' or install the appropriate linux-image package
4. For RHEL/CentOS: Run 'sudo yum update kernel' or 'sudo dnf update kernel'
5. For other distributions, obtain the patched kernel from your distribution's kernel repository
6. Reboot the system to load the fixed kernel: 'sudo reboot'
7. After reboot, verify the kernel version with 'uname -r' to confirm the fix is applied

Caveat Kernel upgrades may require system reboot and could introduce compatibility issues with older kernel modules or custom drivers

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

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-47606 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2021-47606?

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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What this is

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.

What belongs here

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 4.4.296 / 4.9.294 or later

Severity 5.5 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.2%

Affects: Linux Kernel

Remediation

Need this fixed?

Get a fix

Estimated effortfrom ~9 hrs

ComplexityModerate

Typical engagementfrom $1,600

What a fix involves

We scope it with you and confirm a fixed quote
A specialist builds a reviewed fix
You deploy it to staging first
Optional re-test once it’s live

We specialise in CVE remediation. Send your environment and we’ll scope CVE-2021-47606 and return a fixed quote.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Scan for this in your stack

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

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Remediation

References