CVE-2021-4454

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: can: j1939: fix errant WARN_ON_ONCE in j1939_session_deactivate The conclusion "j1939_session_deactivate() should be called with a session ref-count of at least 2" is incorrect. In some concurrent scenarios, j1939_session_deactivate can be called with the session ref-count less than 2. But there is not any problem because it will check the session active state before session putting in j1939_session_deactivate_locked(). Here is the concurrent scenario of the problem reported by syzbot and my reproduction log. cpu0 cpu1 j1939_xtp_rx_eoma j1939_xtp_rx_abort_one j1939_session_get_by_addr [kref == 2] j1939_session_get_by_addr [kref == 3] j1939_session_deactivate [kref == 2] j1939_session_put [kref == 1] j1939_session_completed j1939_session_deactivate WARN_ON_ONCE(kref < 2) ===================================================== WARNING: CPU: 1 PID: 21 at net/can/j1939/transport.c:1088 j1939_session_deactivate+0x5f/0x70 CPU: 1 PID: 21 Comm: ksoftirqd/1 Not tainted 5.14.0-rc7+ #32 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.13.0-1ubuntu1 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:j1939_session_deactivate+0x5f/0x70 Call Trace: j1939_session_deactivate_activate_next+0x11/0x28 j1939_xtp_rx_eoma+0x12a/0x180 j1939_tp_recv+0x4a2/0x510 j1939_can_recv+0x226/0x380 can_rcv_filter+0xf8/0x220 can_receive+0x102/0x220 ? process_backlog+0xf0/0x2c0 can_rcv+0x53/0xf0 __netif_receive_skb_one_core+0x67/0x90 ? process_backlog+0x97/0x2c0 __netif_receive_skb+0x22/0x80

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2025-03-27
Last modified 2025-10-28
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

5.5

out of 10
Medium
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
High
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 5.4.138, 5.10.56, 5.13.8, 5.14 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.4.232, 5.10.168, 5.15.93, 6.1.11, 6.2 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 5.4.138 ≥ 5.10.56 ≥ 5.13.8 ≥ 5.14
Fixed in
✓ 5.4.232 5.4.x ✓ 5.10.168 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.93 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.11 6.1.x ✓ 6.2

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2021-4454 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2021-4454?

    CVE-2021-4454 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.4.138 onward and has been patched in 5.4.232, 5.10.168, 5.15.93 and others. CVE-2021-4454 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2021-4454?

    CVE-2021-4454 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2021-4454?

    Yes — CVE-2021-4454 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.4.232, 5.10.168, 5.15.93 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.4.138 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2021-4454 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2021-4454 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.