CVE-2021-47221

mm/slub: actually fix freelist pointer vs redzoning

Published May 21, 2024 CVSS 3.1 · 5.5 Medium EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

mm/slub: actually fix freelist pointer vs redzoning

It turns out that SLUB redzoning ("slub_debug=Z") checks from
s->object_size rather than from s->inuse (which is normally bumped to
make room for the freelist pointer), so a cache created with an object
size less than 24 would have the freelist pointer written beyond
s->object_size, causing the redzone to be corrupted by the freelist
pointer. This was very visible with "slub_debug=ZF":

BUG test (Tainted: G B ): Right Redzone overwritten
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

INFO: 0xffff957ead1c05de-0xffff957ead1c05df @offset=1502. First byte 0x1a instead of 0xbb
INFO: Slab 0xffffef3950b47000 objects=170 used=170 fp=0x0000000000000000 flags=0x8000000000000200
INFO: Object 0xffff957ead1c05d8 @offset=1496 fp=0xffff957ead1c0620

Redzone (____ptrval____): bb bb bb bb bb bb bb bb ........
Object (____ptrval____): 00 00 00 00 00 f6 f4 a5 ........
Redzone (____ptrval____): 40 1d e8 1a aa @....
Padding (____ptrval____): 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........

Adjust the offset to stay within s->object_size.

(Note that no caches of in this size range are known to exist in the
kernel currently.)

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

No advisories available
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
Weaknesses CWE-763
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.13:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.13:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.13:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.13:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.13:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.13:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Redhat
Redhat enterprise Linux
CPEs cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8
Vendors & Products Redhat
Redhat enterprise Linux
Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
Linux
Published
Updated
May 11, 2026, 1:50 PM
Reserved
Apr 10, 2024, 6:59 PM
Status
Analyzed
Published
May 21, 2024, 3:15 PM
Modified
Jun 17, 2026, 4:16 AM
Severity
Moderate
Public date
May 21, 2024, 12:00 AM