CVE-2021-46988
userfaultfd: release page in error path to avoid BUG_ON
- State
- Published
- Severity
- Not scored
- Published
- Feb 28, 2024
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Reserved
- Feb 27, 2024
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
userfaultfd: release page in error path to avoid BUG_ON
Consider the following sequence of events:
1. Userspace issues a UFFD ioctl, which ends up calling into shmem_mfill_atomic_pte(). We successfully account the blocks, we shmem_alloc_page(), but then the copy_from_user() fails. We return -ENOENT. We don't release the page we allocated. 2. Our caller detects this error code, tries the copy_from_user() after dropping the mmap_lock, and retries, calling back into shmem_mfill_atomic_pte(). 3. Meanwhile, let's say another process filled up the tmpfs being used. 4. So shmem_mfill_atomic_pte() fails to account blocks this time, and immediately returns - without releasing the page.
This triggers a BUG_ON in our caller, which asserts that the page should always be consumed, unless -ENOENT is returned.
To fix this, detect if we have such a "dangling" page when accounting fails, and if so, release it before returning.
Scores
The record has no CVSS score.
Weaknesses
The record names no weakness.
Affected Products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
LinuxLinux |
|
LinuxLinux |
|
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/319116227e52d49eee671f0aa278bac89b3c1b69
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/07c9b834c97d0fa3402fb7f3f3b32df370a6ff1f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b3f1731c6d7fbc1ebe3ed8eff6d6bec56d76ff43
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/140cfd9980124aecb6c03ef2e69c72d0548744de
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ad53127973034c63b5348715a1043d0e80ceb330
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2d59a0ed8b26b8f3638d8afc31f839e27759f1f6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7ed9d238c7dbb1fdb63ad96a6184985151b0171c
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