CVE-2021-47631: linux kernel vulnerability

What is known

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ARM: davinci: da850-evm: Avoid NULL pointer dereference With newer versions of GCC, there is a panic in da850_evm_config_emac() when booting multi_v5_defconfig in QEMU under the palmetto-bmc machine: Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 00000020 pgd = (ptrval) [00000020] *pgd=00000000 Internal error: Oops: 5 [#1] PREEMPT ARM Modules linked in: CPU: 0 PID: 1 Comm: swapper Not tainted 5.15.0 #1 Hardware name: Generic DT based system PC is at da850_evm_config_emac+0x1c/0x120 LR is at do_one_initcall+0x50/0x1e0 The emac_pdata pointer in soc_info is NULL because davinci_soc_info only gets populated on davinci machines but da850_evm_config_emac() is called on all machines via device_initcall(). Move the rmii_en assignment below the machine check so that it is only dereferenced when running on a supported SoC.

Business impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2021-47631, 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
• Reference
• Reference
• Reference
• Reference
• Reference