CVE-2021-47316: linux kernel vulnerability

What is known

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfsd: fix NULL dereference in nfs3svc_encode_getaclres In error cases the dentry may be NULL. Before 20798dfe249a, the encoder also checked dentry and d_really_is_positive(dentry), but that looks like overkill to me--zero status should be enough to guarantee a positive dentry. This isn't the first time we've seen an error-case NULL dereference hidden in the initialization of a local variable in an xdr encoder. But I went back through the other recent rewrites and didn't spot any similar bugs.

Business impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2021-47316, 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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