CVE-2021-47349: linux kernel vulnerability

What is known

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mwifiex: bring down link before deleting interface We can deadlock when rmmod'ing the driver or going through firmware reset, because the cfg80211_unregister_wdev() has to bring down the link for us, ... which then grab the same wiphy lock. nl80211_del_interface() already handles a very similar case, with a nice description: /* * We hold RTNL, so this is safe, without RTNL opencount cannot * reach 0, and thus the rdev cannot be deleted. * * We need to do it for the dev_close(), since that will call * the netdev notifiers, and we need to acquire the mutex there * but don't know if we get there from here or from some other * place (e.g. "ip link set ... down"). */ mutex_unlock(&rdev->wiphy.mtx); ... Do similarly for mwifiex teardown, by ensuring we bring the link down first. Sample deadlock trace: [ 247.103516] INFO: task rmmod:2119 blocked for more than 123 seconds. [ 247.110630] Not tainted 5.12.4 #5 [ 247.115796] "echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/hung_task_timeout_secs" disables this message. [ 247.124557] task:rmmod state:D stack: 0 pid: 2119 ppid: 2114 flags:0x00400208 [ 247.133905] Call trace: [ 247.136644] __switch_to+0x130/0x170 [ 247.140643] __schedule+0x714/0xa0c [ 247.144548] schedule_preempt_disabled+0x88/0xf4 [ 247.149714] __mutex_lock_common+0x43c/0x750 [ 247.154496] mutex_lock_nested+0x5c/0x68 [ 247.158884] cfg80211_netdev_notifier_call+0x280/0x4e0 [cfg80211] [ 247.165769] raw_notifier_call_chain+0x4c/0x78 [ 247.170742] call_netdevice_notifiers_info+0x68/0xa4 [ 247.176305] __dev_close_many+0x7c/0x138 [ 247.180693] dev_close_many+0x7c/0x10c [ 247.184893] unregister_netdevice_many+0xfc/0x654 [ 247.190158] unregister_netdevice_queue+0xb4/0xe0 [ 247.195424] _cfg80211_unregister_wdev+0xa4/0x204 [cfg80211] [ 247.201816] cfg80211_unregister_wdev+0x20/0x2c [cfg80211] [ 247.208016] mwifiex_del_virtual_intf+0xc8/0x188 [mwifiex] [ 247.214174] mwifiex_uninit_sw+0x158/0x1b0 [mwifiex] [ 247.219747] mwifiex_remove_card+0x38/0xa0 [mwifiex] [ 247.225316] mwifiex_pcie_remove+0xd0/0xe0 [mwifiex_pcie] [ 247.231451] pci_device_remove+0x50/0xe0 [ 247.235849] device_release_driver_internal+0x110/0x1b0 [ 247.241701] driver_detach+0x5c/0x9c [ 247.245704] bus_remove_driver+0x84/0xb8 [ 247.250095] driver_unregister+0x3c/0x60 [ 247.254486] pci_unregister_driver+0x2c/0x90 [ 247.259267] cleanup_module+0x18/0xcdc [mwifiex_pcie]

Business impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2021-47349, a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.5) 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
• Reference
• Reference
• Reference