CVE-2021-47434: linux kernel vulnerability

What is known

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xhci: Fix command ring pointer corruption while aborting a command The command ring pointer is located at [6:63] bits of the command ring control register (CRCR). All the control bits like command stop, abort are located at [0:3] bits. While aborting a command, we read the CRCR and set the abort bit and write to the CRCR. The read will always give command ring pointer as all zeros. So we essentially write only the control bits. Since we split the 64 bit write into two 32 bit writes, there is a possibility of xHC command ring stopped before the upper dword (all zeros) is written. If that happens, xHC updates the upper dword of its internal command ring pointer with all zeros. Next time, when the command ring is restarted, we see xHC memory access failures. Fix this issue by only writing to the lower dword of CRCR where all control bits are located.

Business impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2021-47434, 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
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