CVE-2021-46960: linux kernel vulnerability

What is known

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cifs: Return correct error code from smb2_get_enc_key Avoid a warning if the error percolates back up: [440700.376476] CIFS VFS: \\otters.example.com crypt_message: Could not get encryption key [440700.386947] ------------[ cut here ]------------ [440700.386948] err = 1 [440700.386977] WARNING: CPU: 11 PID: 2733 at /build/linux-hwe-5.4-p6lk6L/linux-hwe-5.4-5.4.0/lib/errseq.c:74 errseq_set+0x5c/0x70 ... [440700.397304] CPU: 11 PID: 2733 Comm: tar Tainted: G OE 5.4.0-70-generic #78~18.04.1-Ubuntu ... [440700.397334] Call Trace: [440700.397346] __filemap_set_wb_err+0x1a/0x70 [440700.397419] cifs_writepages+0x9c7/0xb30 [cifs] [440700.397426] do_writepages+0x4b/0xe0 [440700.397444] __filemap_fdatawrite_range+0xcb/0x100 [440700.397455] filemap_write_and_wait+0x42/0xa0 [440700.397486] cifs_setattr+0x68b/0xf30 [cifs] [440700.397493] notify_change+0x358/0x4a0 [440700.397500] utimes_common+0xe9/0x1c0 [440700.397510] do_utimes+0xc5/0x150 [440700.397520] __x64_sys_utimensat+0x88/0xd0

Business impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2021-46960, a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) affecting linux kernel, may affect the confidentiality, integrity or availability of the vulnerable environment. The exact impact depends on the installed version, exposed interfaces and deployment configuration.

Recommended administrator action

Confirm whether linux kernel is present and compare installed versions with the vendor advisory and NVD record. Apply the vendor patch or documented mitigation; until remediation is complete, reduce exposure of affected interfaces, review relevant logs and monitor for indicators of exploitation. DataHouse can support version verification, managed patching, network exposure reduction, log review and backup validation for dedicated, cloud and colocated environments.

Sources

• NVD
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