#VU92050 Improper locking in Linux kernel - CVE-2021-46971


| Updated: 2025-05-13

Vulnerability identifier: #VU92050

Vulnerability 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-2021-46971

CWE-ID: CWE-667

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Linux kernel
Operating systems & Components / Operating system

Vendor: Linux Foundation

Description

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

The vulnerability exists due to improper locking within the SYSCALL_DEFINE5() function in kernel/events/core.c. A local user can perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 5.4, 5.4.0, 5.4.0 rc6, 5.4.1, 5.4.2, 5.4.3, 5.4.4, 5.4.5, 5.4.6, 5.4.7, 5.4.8, 5.4.9, 5.4.10, 5.4.11, 5.4.12, 5.4.13, 5.4.14, 5.4.15, 5.4.16, 5.4.17, 5.4.18, 5.4.19, 5.4.20, 5.4.21, 5.4.22, 5.4.23, 5.4.24, 5.4.25, 5.4.26, 5.4.27, 5.4.28, 5.4.29, 5.4.30, 5.4.31, 5.4.32, 5.4.33, 5.4.34, 5.4.35, 5.4.36, 5.4.37, 5.4.38, 5.4.39, 5.4.40, 5.4.41, 5.4.42, 5.4.43, 5.4.44, 5.4.45, 5.4.46, 5.4.47, 5.4.48, 5.4.49, 5.4.50, 5.4.51, 5.4.52, 5.4.53, 5.4.54, 5.4.55, 5.4.56, 5.4.57, 5.4.58, 5.4.59, 5.4.60, 5.4.61, 5.4.62, 5.4.63, 5.4.64, 5.4.65, 5.4.66, 5.4.67, 5.4.68, 5.4.69, 5.4.70, 5.4.71, 5.4.72, 5.4.73, 5.4.74, 5.4.75, 5.4.76, 5.4.77, 5.4.78, 5.4.79, 5.4.80, 5.4.81, 5.4.82, 5.4.83, 5.4.84, 5.4.85, 5.4.86, 5.4.87, 5.4.88, 5.4.89, 5.4.90, 5.4.91, 5.4.92, 5.4.93, 5.4.94, 5.4.95, 5.4.96, 5.4.97, 5.4.98, 5.4.99, 5.4.100, 5.4.101, 5.4.102, 5.4.103, 5.4.104, 5.4.105, 5.4.106, 5.4.107, 5.4.108, 5.4.109, 5.4.110, 5.4.111, 5.4.112, 5.4.113, 5.4.114, 5.4.115, 5.4.116, 5.10, 5.10 rc1, 5.10 rc2, 5.10 rc3, 5.10 rc4, 5.10 rc5, 5.10 rc7, 5.10.1, 5.10.2, 5.10.3, 5.10.4, 5.10.5, 5.10.6, 5.10.7, 5.10.8, 5.10.9, 5.10.10, 5.10.11, 5.10.12, 5.10.13, 5.10.14, 5.10.15, 5.10.16, 5.10.17, 5.10.18, 5.10.19, 5.10.20, 5.10.21, 5.10.22, 5.10.23, 5.10.24, 5.10.25, 5.10.26, 5.10.27, 5.10.28, 5.10.29, 5.10.30, 5.10.31, 5.10.32, 5.10.33, 5.10.34, 5.11, 5.11 rc1, 5.11.1, 5.11.2, 5.11.3, 5.11.4, 5.11.5, 5.11.6, 5.11.7, 5.11.8, 5.11.9, 5.11.10, 5.11.11, 5.11.12, 5.11.13, 5.11.14, 5.11.15, 5.11.16, 5.11.17, 5.11.18, 5.12, 5.12 rc1, 5.12 rc2, 5.12 rc3, 5.12 rc4, 5.12 rc6, 5.12 rc8, 5.12.1, 5.13 rc1, 5.13 rc4, 5.13 rc5


External links
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b246759284d6a2bc5b6f1009caeeb3abce2ec9ff
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4348d3b5027bc3ff6336368b6c60605d4ef8e1ce
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f5809ca4c311b71bfaba6d13f4e39eab0557895e
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c7b0208ee370b89d20486fae71cd9abb759819c1
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/08ef1af4de5fe7de9c6d69f1e22e51b66e385d9b
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v5.x/ChangeLog-5.10.35
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v5.x/ChangeLog-5.11.19
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v5.x/ChangeLog-5.12.2
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v5.x/ChangeLog-5.13
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v5.x/ChangeLog-5.4.117


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.


Latest bulletins with this vulnerability