high CVSS 7.8

CVE-2021-47082·Kernel vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tun: avoid double free in tun_free_netdev Avoid double free in tun_free_netdev() by moving the dev->tstats and tun->security allocs to a new ndo_init routine (tun_net_init()) that will be called by register_netdevice(). ndo_init is paired with the desctructor (tun_free_netdev()), so if there's an error in register_netdevice() the destructor will handle the frees. BUG: KASAN: double-free or invalid-free in selinux_tun_dev_free_security+0x1a/0x20 security/selinux/hooks.c:5605 CPU: 0 PID: 25750 Comm: syz-executor416 Not tainted 5.16.0-rc2-syzk #1 Hardware name: Red Hat KVM, BIOS Call Trace: <TASK> __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:88 [inline] dump_stack_lvl+0x89/0xb5 lib/dump_stack.c:106 print_address_description.constprop.9+0x28/0x160 mm/kasan/report.c:247 kasan_report_invalid_free+0x55/0x80 mm/kasan/report.c:372 ____kasan_slab_free mm/kasan/common.c:346 [inline] __kasan_slab_free+0x107/0x120 mm/kasan/common.c:374 kasan_slab_free include/linux/kasan.h:235 [inline] slab_free_hook mm/slub.c:1723 [inline] slab_free_freelist_hook mm/slub.c:1749 [inline] slab_free mm/slub.c:3513 [inline] kfree+0xac/0x2d0 mm/slub.c:4561 selinux_tun_dev_free_security+0x1a/0x20 security/selinux/hooks.c:5605 security_tun_dev_free_security+0x4f/0x90 security/security.c:2342 tun_free_netdev+0xe6/0x150 drivers/net/tun.c:2215 netdev_run_todo+0x4df/0x840 net/core/dev.c:10627 rtnl_unlock+0x13/0x20 net/core/rtnetlink.c:112 __tun_chr_ioctl+0x80c/0x2870 drivers/net/tun.c:3302 tun_chr_ioctl+0x2f/0x40 drivers/net/tun.c:3311 vfs_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:51 [inline] __do_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:874 [inline] __se_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:860 [inline] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x19d/0x220 fs/ioctl.c:860 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:50 [inline] do_syscall_64+0x3a/0x80 arch/x86/entry/common.c:80 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae

Severity
high
Software
Kernel
Fixed in
5.15.12
Published
2024-03-04

Affected versions

From: 5.11

Until: 5.15.12

Fixed in: 5.15.12

How to fix this CVE

Update your Linux kernel to version 5.15.12 or later to resolve a critical double-free vulnerability in the TUN network device driver. This flaw can allow a local attacker with minimal privileges to trigger a kernel panic or potentially escalate privileges. Ensure you test the kernel update in a staging environment before deploying to production systems.

sudo dnf update kernel kernel-devel

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Step 1: Check your kernel version with `uname -r` and verify it is 5.15.12 or newer
  2. Step 2: Verify TUN module is loaded with `lsmod | grep tun` to identify if the vulnerable component is active
  3. Step 3: Search kernel logs for double-free errors with `sudo dmesg | grep -i 'double.free\|invalid.free\|kasan'` to detect exploitation attempts
  4. Step 4: After updating, confirm the fix with `uname -r` and reboot if necessary, then verify TUN module still loads correctly with `sudo modprobe tun && lsmod | grep tun`

FAQ

What is CVE-2021-47082?

CVE-2021-47082 is a double-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's TUN network device driver that occurs during device initialization and cleanup. A local attacker with standard user privileges can trigger this flaw by creating a malformed TUN device, leading to kernel crashes or potential privilege escalation.

Is CVE-2021-47082 being actively exploited?

No, CVE-2021-47082 is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog and no public exploits are currently available. However, the vulnerability is straightforward to trigger locally and should be patched promptly.

What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2021-47082?

Linux kernel versions 5.11 through 5.15.11 are vulnerable. The vulnerability was fixed in kernel version 5.15.12 and later. Users of older stable branches (5.10, 5.4) may have received backported fixes.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2021-47082?

Run `uname -r` to display your kernel version. If the output shows a version between 5.11 and 5.15.11 (inclusive), your system is vulnerable. Additionally, check if TUN module is enabled with `grep CONFIG_TUN /boot/config-$(uname -r)`.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2021-47082?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If the Linux kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2021-47082 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

Related Kernel CVEs

CVE-2026-63994CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tunnels: load network headers after skb_cow() in iptunnel_pmtud_build_icmp[v6]() Sashiko found that iptunnel_pmtud_build_icmp() and iptunnel_pmtud_build_icmpv6() were caching ip_hdr() and ipv6_hdr() before an skb_cow() call which can reallocate skb->head. Fix this possible UAF by initializing the local variables after the skb_cow() call. Remove skb_reset_network_header() calls which were not needed.
CVE-2026-64025CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf, skmsg: fix verdict sk_data_ready racing with ktls rx sk_psock_strp_data_ready() already checks tls_sw_has_ctx_rx() and defers to psock->saved_data_ready when a TLS RX context is present, avoiding a conflict with the TLS strparser's ownership of the receive queue (commit e91de6afa81c, "bpf: Fix running sk_skb program types with ktls"). sk_psock_verdict_data_ready() has no equivalent guard. When a socket is inserted into a sockmap (BPF_SK_SKB_VERDICT) before TLS RX is configured, tls_sw_strparser_arm() saves sk_psock_verdict_data_ready as rx_ctx->saved_data_ready. On data arrival: tls_data_ready -> tls_strp_data_ready -> tls_rx_msg_ready -> saved_data_ready() = sk_psock_verdict_data_ready() -> tcp_read_skb() drains sk_receive_queue via __skb_unlink() without calling tcp_eat_skb(), so copied_seq is not advanced. tls_strp_msg_load() then finds tcp_inq() >= full_len (stale), calls tcp_recv_skb() on the now-empty queue, hits WARN_ON_ONCE(!first), and returns with rx_ctx->strp.anchor.frag_list pointing at a psock-owned (potentially freed) skb. tls_decrypt_sg() subsequently walks that frag_list: use-after-free. Apply the same fix as sk_psock_strp_data_ready(): if a TLS RX context is present, call psock->saved_data_ready (sock_def_readable) to wake recv() waiters and return immediately, leaving the receive queue untouched. TLS retains sole ownership of the queue and decrypts the record normally through tls_sw_recvmsg().
CVE-2026-100075CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: RDMA/srpt: Fix srpt_alloc_rw_ctxs() unwind counters When srpt_alloc_rw_ctxs() fails partway through a multi-buffer indirect descriptor, the unwind path destroys RDMA contexts but leaves stale n_rw_ctx and n_rdma values (and a dangling rw_ctxs pointer). Later sq_wr_avail accounting in srpt_queue_response() or srpt_write_pending() can then subtract the wrong number of send queue credits. Reset the counters and clear rw_ctxs after freeing the heap allocation before returning an error.
CVE-2026-64000CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: hsr: fix potential OOB access in supervision frame handling Ensure the entire TLV header is linearized before access by adding sizeof(struct hsr_sup_tlv) to the pskb_may_pull() calls. Without this, a truncated frame could cause an out-of-bounds access.
CVE-2026-64439CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: krb5 - filter out async aead implementations at alloc krb5_aead_encrypt(), krb5_aead_decrypt() in rfc3961_simplified.c and rfc8009_encrypt(), rfc8009_decrypt() in rfc8009_aes2.c set a NULL completion callback and treat any negative return from crypto_aead_{encrypt,decrypt}() as terminal, falling through to kfree_sensitive(buffer). When the encrypt_name resolves to an async AEAD instance the request returns -EINPROGRESS, the buffer is freed while the backend's worker still holds a pointer, and the worker dereferences the freed slab on completion. KASAN report under UML+SLUB with a synthetic async aead backend bound to krb5->encrypt_name: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in t5_stub_complete+0x7d/0xc7 The helpers were written synchronously, so filter the async instances out at allocation time instead of plumbing crypto_wait_req() through every call site. Reachable via net/rxrpc/rxgk.c, fs/afs/cm_security.c and net/ceph/crypto.c on systems with an async AEAD provider bound to the krb5 enctype name.

References

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