CVE-2021-47136 in Linux
Summary
by MITRE • 03/25/2024
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net: zero-initialize tc skb extension on allocation
Function skb_ext_add() doesn't initialize created skb extension with any value and leaves it up to the user. However, since extension of type TC_SKB_EXT originally contained only single value tc_skb_ext->chain its users used to just assign the chain value without setting whole extension memory to zero first. This assumption changed when TC_SKB_EXT extension was extended with additional fields but not all users were updated to initialize the new fields which leads to use of uninitialized memory afterwards. UBSAN log:
[ 778.299821] UBSAN: invalid-load in net/openvswitch/flow.c:899:28
[ 778.301495] load of value 107 is not a valid value for type '_Bool'
[ 778.303215] CPU: 0 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/0 Not tainted 5.12.0-rc7+ #2
[ 778.304933] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.13.0-0-gf21b5a4aeb02-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014
[ 778.307901] Call Trace:
[ 778.308680]
[ 778.309358] dump_stack+0xbb/0x107
[ 778.310307] ubsan_epilogue+0x5/0x40
[ 778.311167] __ubsan_handle_load_invalid_value.cold+0x43/0x48
[ 778.312454] ? memset+0x20/0x40
[ 778.313230] ovs_flow_key_extract.cold+0xf/0x14 [openvswitch]
[ 778.314532] ovs_vport_receive+0x19e/0x2e0 [openvswitch]
[ 778.315749] ? ovs_vport_find_upcall_portid+0x330/0x330 [openvswitch]
[ 778.317188] ? create_prof_cpu_mask+0x20/0x20
[ 778.318220] ? arch_stack_walk+0x82/0xf0
[ 778.319153] ? secondary_startup_64_no_verify+0xb0/0xbb
[ 778.320399] ? stack_trace_save+0x91/0xc0
[ 778.321362] ? stack_trace_consume_entry+0x160/0x160
[ 778.322517] ? lock_release+0x52e/0x760
[ 778.323444] netdev_frame_hook+0x323/0x610 [openvswitch]
[ 778.324668] ? ovs_netdev_get_vport+0xe0/0xe0 [openvswitch]
[ 778.325950] __netif_receive_skb_core+0x771/0x2db0
[ 778.327067] ? lock_downgrade+0x6e0/0x6f0
[ 778.328021] ? lock_acquire+0x565/0x720
[ 778.328940] ? generic_xdp_tx+0x4f0/0x4f0
[ 778.329902] ? inet_gro_receive+0x2a7/0x10a0
[ 778.330914] ? lock_downgrade+0x6f0/0x6f0
[ 778.331867] ? udp4_gro_receive+0x4c4/0x13e0
[ 778.332876] ? lock_release+0x52e/0x760
[ 778.333808] ? dev_gro_receive+0xcc8/0x2380
[ 778.334810] ? lock_downgrade+0x6f0/0x6f0
[ 778.335769] __netif_receive_skb_list_core+0x295/0x820
[ 778.336955] ? process_backlog+0x780/0x780
[ 778.337941] ? mlx5e_rep_tc_netdevice_event_unregister+0x20/0x20 [mlx5_core]
[ 778.339613] ? seqcount_lockdep_reader_access.constprop.0+0xa7/0xc0
[ 778.341033] ? kvm_clock_get_cycles+0x14/0x20
[ 778.342072] netif_receive_skb_list_internal+0x5f5/0xcb0
[ 778.343288] ? __kasan_kmalloc+0x7a/0x90
[ 778.344234] ? mlx5e_handle_rx_cqe_mpwrq+0x9e0/0x9e0 [mlx5_core]
[ 778.345676] ? mlx5e_xmit_xdp_frame_mpwqe+0x14d0/0x14d0 [mlx5_core]
[ 778.347140] ? __netif_receive_skb_list_core+0x820/0x820
[ 778.348351] ? mlx5e_post_rx_mpwqes+0xa6/0x25d0 [mlx5_core]
[ 778.349688] ? napi_gro_flush+0x26c/0x3c0
[ 778.350641] napi_complete_done+0x188/0x6b0
[ 778.351627] mlx5e_napi_poll+0x373/0x1b80 [mlx5_core]
[ 778.352853] __napi_poll+0x9f/0x510
[ 778.353704] ? mlx5_flow_namespace_set_mode+0x260/0x260 [mlx5_core]
[ 778.355158] net_rx_action+0x34c/0xa40
[ 778.356060] ? napi_threaded_poll+0x3d0/0x3d0
[ 778.357083] ? sched_clock_cpu+0x18/0x190
[ 778.358041] ? __common_interrupt+0x8e/0x1a0
[ 778.359045] __do_softirq+0x1ce/0x984
[ 778.359938] __irq_exit_rcu+0x137/0x1d0
[ 778.360865] irq_exit_rcu+0xa/0x20
[ 778.361708] common_interrupt+0x80/0xa0
[ 778.362640]
[ 778.363212] asm_common_interrupt+0x1e/0x40
[ 778.364204] RIP: 0010:native_safe_halt+0xe/0x10
[ 778.365273] Code: 4f ff ff ff 4c 89 e7 e8 50 3f 40 fe e9 dc fe ff ff 48 89 df e8 43 3f 40 fe eb 90 cc e9 07 00 00 00 0f 00 2d 74 05 62 00 fb f4 90 e9 07 00 00 00 0f 00 2d 64 05 62 00 f4 c3 cc cc 0f 1f 44 00
[ 778.369355] RSP: 0018:ffffffff84407e48 EFLAGS: 00000246
[ 778.370570] RAX
---truncated---
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/04/2025
The vulnerability CVE-2021-47136 resides within the Linux kernel's networking subsystem, specifically in how socket buffer extensions are handled during allocation. The core issue stems from the skb_ext_add() function which fails to zero-initialize newly created socket buffer extensions before returning them to userspace. This oversight becomes critical when dealing with the TC_SKB_EXT extension type that originally contained only a single field named chain. Over time, this extension was expanded to include additional fields, but not all users of this extension were updated to properly initialize all fields, leading to potential use of uninitialized memory.
The technical flaw manifests when code paths attempt to read boolean values from uninitialized memory locations within the extension structure. As demonstrated in the UBSAN log, the system encounters an invalid load operation where a value of 107 is interpreted as a boolean type, which is invalid since booleans should only contain 0 or 1 values. This invalid memory access occurs during packet processing in the openvswitch module, specifically within the ovs_flow_key_extract function, indicating that virtualized network environments are particularly susceptible to this vulnerability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple memory corruption, as it creates potential attack vectors for malicious actors to exploit uninitialized memory contents for information disclosure or privilege escalation. The vulnerability affects systems using the openvswitch kernel module, particularly those implementing traffic control mechanisms, and could be leveraged by attackers to gain unauthorized access or disrupt network operations. The issue is particularly concerning in virtualized environments where openvswitch is commonly deployed for network virtualization and container networking.
Mitigation strategies should focus on ensuring proper zero-initialization of socket buffer extensions upon allocation, with the most effective approach being the implementation of a kernel patch that automatically initializes all extension memory to zero before returning it to userspace. Security teams should also conduct thorough code audits of all kernel modules that interact with TC_SKB_EXT to ensure proper initialization patterns are maintained. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-457: Use of Uninitialized Variable and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for privilege escalation through kernel exploitation. Organizations should prioritize applying the upstream kernel patch that addresses this specific zero-initialization issue to prevent potential exploitation of uninitialized memory contents in network processing paths.