high CVSS 7.8

CVE-2021-47222·Kernel vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: bridge: fix vlan tunnel dst refcnt when egressing The egress tunnel code uses dst_clone() and directly sets the result which is wrong because the entry might have 0 refcnt or be already deleted, causing number of problems. It also triggers the WARN_ON() in dst_hold()[1] when a refcnt couldn't be taken. Fix it by using dst_hold_safe() and checking if a reference was actually taken before setting the dst. [1] dmesg WARN_ON log and following refcnt errors WARNING: CPU: 5 PID: 38 at include/net/dst.h:230 br_handle_egress_vlan_tunnel+0x10b/0x134 [bridge] Modules linked in: 8021q garp mrp bridge stp llc bonding ipv6 virtio_net CPU: 5 PID: 38 Comm: ksoftirqd/5 Kdump: loaded Tainted: G W 5.13.0-rc3+ #360 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.14.0-1.fc33 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:br_handle_egress_vlan_tunnel+0x10b/0x134 [bridge] Code: e8 85 bc 01 e1 45 84 f6 74 90 45 31 f6 85 db 48 c7 c7 a0 02 19 a0 41 0f 94 c6 31 c9 31 d2 44 89 f6 e8 64 bc 01 e1 85 db 75 02 <0f> 0b 31 c9 31 d2 44 89 f6 48 c7 c7 70 02 19 a0 e8 4b bc 01 e1 49 RSP: 0018:ffff8881003d39e8 EFLAGS: 00010246 RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: 0000000000000000 RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 0000000000000001 RDI: ffffffffa01902a0 RBP: ffff8881040c6700 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000001 R10: 2ce93d0054fe0d00 R11: 54fe0d00000e0000 R12: ffff888109515000 R13: 0000000000000000 R14: 0000000000000001 R15: 0000000000000401 FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff88822bf40000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 00007f42ba70f030 CR3: 0000000109926000 CR4: 00000000000006e0 Call Trace: br_handle_vlan+0xbc/0xca [bridge] __br_forward+0x23/0x164 [bridge] deliver_clone+0x41/0x48 [bridge] br_handle_frame_finish+0x36f/0x3aa [bridge] ? skb_dst+0x2e/0x38 [bridge] ? br_handle_ingress_vlan_tunnel+0x3e/0x1c8 [bridge] ? br_handle_frame_finish+0x3aa/0x3aa [bridge] br_handle_frame+0x2c3/0x377 [bridge] ? __skb_pull+0x33/0x51 ? vlan_do_receive+0x4f/0x36a ? br_handle_frame_finish+0x3aa/0x3aa [bridge] __netif_receive_skb_core+0x539/0x7c6 ? __list_del_entry_valid+0x16e/0x1c2 __netif_receive_skb_list_core+0x6d/0xd6 netif_receive_skb_list_internal+0x1d9/0x1fa gro_normal_list+0x22/0x3e dev_gro_receive+0x55b/0x600 ? detach_buf_split+0x58/0x140 napi_gro_receive+0x94/0x12e virtnet_poll+0x15d/0x315 [virtio_net] __napi_poll+0x2c/0x1c9 net_rx_action+0xe6/0x1fb __do_softirq+0x115/0x2d8 run_ksoftirqd+0x18/0x20 smpboot_thread_fn+0x183/0x19c ? smpboot_unregister_percpu_thread+0x66/0x66 kthread+0x10a/0x10f ? kthread_mod_delayed_work+0xb6/0xb6 ret_from_fork+0x22/0x30 ---[ end trace 49f61b07f775fd2b ]--- dst_release: dst:00000000c02d677a refcnt:-1 dst_release underflow

Severity
high
Software
Kernel
Fixed in
5.12.13
Published
2024-05-21

Affected versions

From: 5.11

Until: 5.12.13

Fixed in: 5.12.13

How to fix this CVE

Update your Linux kernel to version 5.12.13 or later to resolve a reference counting vulnerability in bridge VLAN tunnel egress handling. This defect could cause kernel warnings, memory corruption, and system instability when VLAN tunneling is enabled on bridge interfaces. Kernel updates should be applied and the system rebooted to activate the fix.

sudo dnf update kernel kernel-devel && sudo reboot

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Check current kernel version: uname -r | grep -E '^5\.(11|12\.[0-9]|12\.1[0-2])'
  2. Verify bridge and VLAN tunnel module status: lsmod | grep -E 'bridge|vlan'
  3. Search kernel logs for DST reference counting warnings: sudo dmesg | grep -i 'dst_release\|refcnt'
  4. Confirm patch installation by checking kernel version is 5.12.13+: uname -r should show version ≥ 5.12.13

FAQ

What is CVE-2021-47222?

This vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's bridge driver when handling VLAN tunnel egress traffic. The code incorrectly manages destination entry reference counts using dst_clone() instead of dst_hold_safe(), leading to negative reference counts, kernel warnings, and potential denial of service or memory corruption.

Is CVE-2021-47222 being actively exploited?

No, this vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and no public exploits are available. However, it affects kernel stability in production environments using bridge VLAN tunneling.

What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2021-47222?

Linux kernel versions 5.11 through 5.12.12 are vulnerable. Kernel 5.12.13 and later versions contain the fix.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2021-47222?

Run 'uname -r' and compare the output to version 5.12.13. If your kernel version is 5.11.x or 5.12.0 through 5.12.12, you are vulnerable.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2021-47222?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If Kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2021-47222 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

Related Kernel CVEs

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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.
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References

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