medium CVSS 5.5 EPSS <0.1%

CVE-2021-47246·Kernel vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5e: Fix page reclaim for dead peer hairpin When adding a hairpin flow, a firmware-side send queue is created for the peer net device, which claims some host memory pages for its internal ring buffer. If the peer net device is removed/unbound before the hairpin flow is deleted, then the send queue is not destroyed which leads to a stack trace on pci device remove: [ 748.005230] mlx5_core 0000:08:00.2: wait_func:1094:(pid 12985): MANAGE_PAGES(0x108) timeout. Will cause a leak of a command resource [ 748.005231] mlx5_core 0000:08:00.2: reclaim_pages:514:(pid 12985): failed reclaiming pages: err -110 [ 748.001835] mlx5_core 0000:08:00.2: mlx5_reclaim_root_pages:653:(pid 12985): failed reclaiming pages (-110) for func id 0x0 [ 748.002171] ------------[ cut here ]------------ [ 748.001177] FW pages counter is 4 after reclaiming all pages [ 748.001186] WARNING: CPU: 1 PID: 12985 at drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/pagealloc.c:685 mlx5_reclaim_startup_pages+0x34b/0x460 [mlx5_core] [ +0.002771] Modules linked in: cls_flower mlx5_ib mlx5_core ptp pps_core act_mirred sch_ingress openvswitch nsh xt_conntrack xt_MASQUERADE nf_conntrack_netlink nfnetlink xt_addrtype iptable_nat nf_nat nf_conntrack nf_defrag_ipv6 nf_defrag_ipv4 br_netfilter rpcrdma rdma_ucm ib_iser libiscsi scsi_transport_iscsi rdma_cm ib_umad ib_ipoib iw_cm ib_cm ib_uverbs ib_core overlay fuse [last unloaded: pps_core] [ 748.007225] CPU: 1 PID: 12985 Comm: tee Not tainted 5.12.0+ #1 [ 748.001376] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.13.0-0-gf21b5a4aeb02-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 [ 748.002315] RIP: 0010:mlx5_reclaim_startup_pages+0x34b/0x460 [mlx5_core] [ 748.001679] Code: 28 00 00 00 0f 85 22 01 00 00 48 81 c4 b0 00 00 00 31 c0 5b 5d 41 5c 41 5d 41 5e 41 5f c3 48 c7 c7 40 cc 19 a1 e8 9f 71 0e e2 <0f> 0b e9 30 ff ff ff 48 c7 c7 a0 cc 19 a1 e8 8c 71 0e e2 0f 0b e9 [ 748.003781] RSP: 0018:ffff88815220faf8 EFLAGS: 00010286 [ 748.001149] RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffff8881b4900280 RCX: 0000000000000000 [ 748.001445] RDX: 0000000000000027 RSI: 0000000000000004 RDI: ffffed102a441f51 [ 748.001614] RBP: 00000000000032b9 R08: 0000000000000001 R09: ffffed1054a15ee8 [ 748.001446] R10: ffff8882a50af73b R11: ffffed1054a15ee7 R12: fffffbfff07c1e30 [ 748.001447] R13: dffffc0000000000 R14: ffff8881b492cba8 R15: 0000000000000000 [ 748.001429] FS: 00007f58bd08b580(0000) GS:ffff8882a5080000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 [ 748.001695] CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 [ 748.001309] CR2: 000055a026351740 CR3: 00000001d3b48006 CR4: 0000000000370ea0 [ 748.001506] DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000 [ 748.001483] DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400 [ 748.001654] Call Trace: [ 748.000576] ? mlx5_satisfy_startup_pages+0x290/0x290 [mlx5_core] [ 748.001416] ? mlx5_cmd_teardown_hca+0xa2/0xd0 [mlx5_core] [ 748.001354] ? mlx5_cmd_init_hca+0x280/0x280 [mlx5_core] [ 748.001203] mlx5_function_teardown+0x30/0x60 [mlx5_core] [ 748.001275] mlx5_uninit_one+0xa7/0xc0 [mlx5_core] [ 748.001200] remove_one+0x5f/0xc0 [mlx5_core] [ 748.001075] pci_device_remove+0x9f/0x1d0 [ 748.000833] device_release_driver_internal+0x1e0/0x490 [ 748.001207] unbind_store+0x19f/0x200 [ 748.000942] ? sysfs_file_ops+0x170/0x170 [ 748.001000] kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x2bc/0x450 [ 748.000970] new_sync_write+0x373/0x610 [ 748.001124] ? new_sync_read+0x600/0x600 [ 748.001057] ? lock_acquire+0x4d6/0x700 [ 748.000908] ? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0x400/0x400 [ 748.001126] ? fd_install+0x1c9/0x4d0 [ 748.000951] vfs_write+0x4d0/0x800 [ 748.000804] ksys_write+0xf9/0x1d0 [ 748.000868] ? __x64_sys_read+0xb0/0xb0 [ 748.000811] ? filp_open+0x50/0x50 [ 748.000919] ? syscall_enter_from_user_mode+0x1d/0x50 [ 748.001223] do_syscall_64+0x3f/0x80 [ 748.000892] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae [ 748.00 ---truncated---

Severity
medium
Software
Kernel
Fixed in
5.12.13
Published

How likely is exploitation

FIRST's Exploit Prediction Scoring System puts the probability of this CVE being exploited in the next 30 days at <0.1% — higher than 1% of all published CVEs. EPSS is an independent forecast of exploitation, not a severity rating: it says nothing about how much damage a successful attack does, which is what a CVSS score measures.

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 memory management issue in the MLX5 Ethernet driver that causes page reclaim failures when hairpin flows reference removed peer devices. Systems using Mellanox ConnectX network adapters should prioritize this update to prevent firmware timeout warnings and potential memory leaks during device removal operations.

sudo dnf update kernel kernel-devel

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Check installed kernel version: uname -r (vulnerable if output shows 5.11.x to 5.12.12)
  2. Verify MLX5 driver presence: lspci | grep -i mellanox (indicates if ConnectX adapters are installed)
  3. Search kernel logs for hairpin-related errors: sudo journalctl -b | grep -i 'hairpin\|mlx5_core\|reclaim_pages'
  4. Confirm fix by upgrading and verifying: uname -r should show 5.12.13 or later after reboot

FAQ

What is CVE-2021-47246?

CVE-2021-47246 is a Linux kernel vulnerability in the MLX5 Ethernet driver where hairpin flows fail to properly release firmware-allocated memory pages when the peer network device is removed before the flow is deleted, causing resource leaks and driver timeout errors.

Is CVE-2021-47246 being actively exploited?

No, CVE-2021-47246 is not listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog and no public exploits are available. This is a denial-of-service level vulnerability requiring local access and specific hardware.

What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2021-47246?

Linux kernel versions 5.11 through 5.12.12 are affected. Version 5.12.13 and later include the fix.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2021-47246?

Run 'uname -r' to check your kernel version. If it shows 5.11.x through 5.12.12 AND you have Mellanox ConnectX adapters (verify with 'lspci | grep -i mellanox'), your system is vulnerable.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2021-47246?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If Linux kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2021-47246 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

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References

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