CVE-2021-47140: linux kernel vulnerability

What is known

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iommu/amd: Clear DMA ops when switching domain Since commit 08a27c1c3ecf ("iommu: Add support to change default domain of an iommu group") a user can switch a device between IOMMU and direct DMA through sysfs. This doesn't work for AMD IOMMU at the moment because dev->dma_ops is not cleared when switching from a DMA to an identity IOMMU domain. The DMA layer thus attempts to use the dma-iommu ops on an identity domain, causing an oops: # echo 0000:00:05.0 > /sys/sys/bus/pci/drivers/e1000e/unbind # echo identity > /sys/bus/pci/devices/0000:00:05.0/iommu_group/type # echo 0000:00:05.0 > /sys/sys/bus/pci/drivers/e1000e/bind ... BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000028 ... Call Trace: iommu_dma_alloc e1000e_setup_tx_resources e1000e_open Since iommu_change_dev_def_domain() calls probe_finalize() again, clear the dma_ops there like Vt-d does.

Business impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2021-47140, a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.3) 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
• Reference
• Reference