CVE-2021-47508

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: btrfs: free exchange changeset on failures Fstests runs on my VMs have show several kmemleak reports like the following. unreferenced object 0xffff88811ae59080 (size 64): comm "xfs_io", pid 12124, jiffies 4294987392 (age 6.368s) hex dump (first 32 bytes): 00 c0 1c 00 00 00 00 00 ff cf 1c 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 90 97 e5 1a 81 88 ff ff 90 97 e5 1a 81 88 ff ff ................ backtrace: [<00000000ac0176d2>] ulist_add_merge+0x60/0x150 [btrfs] [<0000000076e9f312>] set_state_bits+0x86/0xc0 [btrfs] [<0000000014fe73d6>] set_extent_bit+0x270/0x690 [btrfs] [<000000004f675208>] set_record_extent_bits+0x19/0x20 [btrfs] [<00000000b96137b1>] qgroup_reserve_data+0x274/0x310 [btrfs] [<0000000057e9dcbb>] btrfs_check_data_free_space+0x5c/0xa0 [btrfs] [<0000000019c4511d>] btrfs_delalloc_reserve_space+0x1b/0xa0 [btrfs] [<000000006d37e007>] btrfs_dio_iomap_begin+0x415/0x970 [btrfs] [<00000000fb8a74b8>] iomap_iter+0x161/0x1e0 [<0000000071dff6ff>] __iomap_dio_rw+0x1df/0x700 [<000000002567ba53>] iomap_dio_rw+0x5/0x20 [<0000000072e555f8>] btrfs_file_write_iter+0x290/0x530 [btrfs] [<000000005eb3d845>] new_sync_write+0x106/0x180 [<000000003fb505bf>] vfs_write+0x24d/0x2f0 [<000000009bb57d37>] __x64_sys_pwrite64+0x69/0xa0 [<000000003eba3fdf>] do_syscall_64+0x43/0x90 In case brtfs_qgroup_reserve_data() or btrfs_delalloc_reserve_metadata() fail the allocated extent_changeset will not be freed. So in btrfs_check_data_free_space() and btrfs_delalloc_reserve_space() free the allocated extent_changeset to get rid of the allocated memory. The issue currently only happens in the direct IO write path, but only after 65b3c08606e5 ("btrfs: fix ENOSPC failure when attempting direct IO write into NOCOW range"), and also at defrag_one_locked_target(). Every other place is always calling extent_changeset_free() even if its call to btrfs_delalloc_reserve_space() or btrfs_check_data_free_space() has failed.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2024-05-24
Last modified 2025-09-24
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Awaiting data

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

Weakness type

CWE-401

CVE-2021-47508 is a Memory Leak vulnerability

What is Memory Leak?

The product does not release memory after use, causing gradual resource exhaustion. Learn more on MITRE CWE

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2021-47508 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-2021-47508?

    CVE-2021-47508 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 , classified as a Memory Leak flaw (CWE-401) . CVE-2021-47508 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2021-47508?

    CVE-2021-47508 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-2021-47508?

    No patch is currently available for CVE-2021-47508. Monitor the NIST NVD and your Linux distribution's security advisories for updates.

  • Is CVE-2021-47508 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2021-47508 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

  • What is Memory Leak (CWE-401)?

    The product does not release memory after use, causing gradual resource exhaustion. View CWE-401 on MITRE CWE →