Memory leak in Linux kernel



| Updated: 2025-05-14
Risk Low
Patch available YES
Number of vulnerabilities 1
CVE-ID CVE-2021-47553
CWE-ID CWE-401
Exploitation vector Local
Public exploit N/A
Vulnerable software
 Linux kernel
Operating systems & Components / Operating system

Vendor Linux Foundation

Security Bulletin

This security bulletin contains one low risk vulnerability.

1) Memory leak

EUVDB-ID: #VU89932

Risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 4.3 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2021-47553

CWE-ID: CWE-401 - Missing release of memory after effective lifetime

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

The vulnerability exists due to memory leak within the init_idle() and idle_task_exit() functions in kernel/sched/core.c, within the bringup_cpu() function in kernel/cpu.c. A local user can perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

Mitigation

Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 5.10 - 5.16 rc8

CPE2.3 External links

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e6ee7abd6bfe559ad9989004b34c320fd638c526
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/229c555260cb9c1ccdab861e16f0410f1718f302
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dce1ca0525bfdc8a69a9343bc714fbc19a2f04b3
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v5.x/ChangeLog-5.10.83
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v5.x/ChangeLog-5.15.6
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v5.x/ChangeLog-5.16


Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.



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