CVE-2021-47256

mm/memory-failure: make sure wait for page writeback in memory_failure

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/memory-failure: make sure wait for page writeback in memory_failure

Our syzkaller trigger the "BUG_ON(!list_empty(&inode->i_wb_list))" in
clear_inode:

kernel BUG at fs/inode.c:519!
Internal error: Oops - BUG: 0 [#1] SMP
Modules linked in:
Process syz-executor.0 (pid: 249, stack limit = 0x00000000a12409d7)
CPU: 1 PID: 249 Comm: syz-executor.0 Not tainted 4.19.95
Hardware name: linux,dummy-virt (DT)
pstate: 80000005 (Nzcv daif -PAN -UAO)
pc : clear_inode+0x280/0x2a8
lr : clear_inode+0x280/0x2a8
Call trace:
clear_inode+0x280/0x2a8
ext4_clear_inode+0x38/0xe8
ext4_free_inode+0x130/0xc68
ext4_evict_inode+0xb20/0xcb8
evict+0x1a8/0x3c0
iput+0x344/0x460
do_unlinkat+0x260/0x410
__arm64_sys_unlinkat+0x6c/0xc0
el0_svc_common+0xdc/0x3b0
el0_svc_handler+0xf8/0x160
el0_svc+0x10/0x218
Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception

A crash dump of this problem show that someone called __munlock_pagevec
to clear page LRU without lock_page: do_mmap -> mmap_region -> do_munmap
-> munlock_vma_pages_range -> __munlock_pagevec.

As a result memory_failure will call identify_page_state without
wait_on_page_writeback. And after truncate_error_page clear the mapping
of this page. end_page_writeback won't call sb_clear_inode_writeback to
clear inode->i_wb_list. That will trigger BUG_ON in clear_inode!

Fix it by checking PageWriteback too to help determine should we skip
wait_on_page_writeback.

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 NVD-CWE-noinfo
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
Metrics ssvc

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

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

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

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, 4:17 AM
Severity
Moderate
Public date
May 21, 2024, 12:00 AM