CVE-2021-47189

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: btrfs: fix memory ordering between normal and ordered work functions Ordered work functions aren't guaranteed to be handled by the same thread which executed the normal work functions. The only way execution between normal/ordered functions is synchronized is via the WORK_DONE_BIT, unfortunately the used bitops don't guarantee any ordering whatsoever. This manifested as seemingly inexplicable crashes on ARM64, where async_chunk::inode is seen as non-null in async_cow_submit which causes submit_compressed_extents to be called and crash occurs because async_chunk::inode suddenly became NULL. The call trace was similar to: pc : submit_compressed_extents+0x38/0x3d0 lr : async_cow_submit+0x50/0xd0 sp : ffff800015d4bc20 <registers omitted for brevity> Call trace: submit_compressed_extents+0x38/0x3d0 async_cow_submit+0x50/0xd0 run_ordered_work+0xc8/0x280 btrfs_work_helper+0x98/0x250 process_one_work+0x1f0/0x4ac worker_thread+0x188/0x504 kthread+0x110/0x114 ret_from_fork+0x10/0x18 Fix this by adding respective barrier calls which ensure that all accesses preceding setting of WORK_DONE_BIT are strictly ordered before setting the flag. At the same time add a read barrier after reading of WORK_DONE_BIT in run_ordered_work which ensures all subsequent loads would be strictly ordered after reading the bit. This in turn ensures are all accesses before WORK_DONE_BIT are going to be strictly ordered before any access that can occur in ordered_func.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2024-04-10
Last modified 2025-04-30
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Awaiting data

CVSS 3.1 score

6.3

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

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2021-47189 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-2021-47189?

    CVE-2021-47189 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 6.3 out of 10 . CVE-2021-47189 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2021-47189?

    CVE-2021-47189 has a CVSS score of 6.3 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2021-47189?

    No patch is currently available for CVE-2021-47189. Monitor the NIST NVD and your Linux distribution's security advisories for updates.

  • Is CVE-2021-47189 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2021-47189 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.