CVE-2021-47517

ethtool: do not perform operations on net devices being unregistered

Published May 24, 2024 CVSS 3.1 · 7.8 High EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ethtool: do not perform operations on net devices being unregistered

There is a short period between a net device starts to be unregistered
and when it is actually gone. In that time frame ethtool operations
could still be performed, which might end up in unwanted or undefined
behaviours[1].

Do not allow ethtool operations after a net device starts its
unregistration. This patch targets the netlink part as the ioctl one
isn't affected: the reference to the net device is taken and the
operation is executed within an rtnl lock section and the net device
won't be found after unregister.

[1] For example adding Tx queues after unregister ends up in NULL
pointer exceptions and UaFs, such as:

BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in kobject_get+0x14/0x90
Read of size 1 at addr ffff88801961248c by task ethtool/755

CPU: 0 PID: 755 Comm: ethtool Not tainted 5.15.0-rc6+ #778
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.14.0-4.fc34 04/014
Call Trace:
dump_stack_lvl+0x57/0x72
print_address_description.constprop.0+0x1f/0x140
kasan_report.cold+0x7f/0x11b
kobject_get+0x14/0x90
kobject_add_internal+0x3d1/0x450
kobject_init_and_add+0xba/0xf0
netdev_queue_update_kobjects+0xcf/0x200
netif_set_real_num_tx_queues+0xb4/0x310
veth_set_channels+0x1c3/0x550
ethnl_set_channels+0x524/0x610

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-416
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.16:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.16:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.16:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.16:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 4.4, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'}

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
Aug 5, 2026, 8:48 AM
Reserved
May 24, 2024, 3:02 PM
Status
Modified
Published
May 24, 2024, 3:15 PM
Modified
Aug 4, 2026, 10:17 AM
Severity
Low
Public date
May 24, 2024, 12:00 AM