Linux Kernel up to 5.12.2 virtiofs virtio_fs_probe memory leak

| CVSS Meta Temp Score | Current Exploit Price (≈) | CTI Interest Score |
|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | $0-$5k | 0.00 |
Summary
A vulnerability classified as problematic has been found in Linux Kernel up to 5.4.117/5.10.35/5.11.19/5.12/5.12.2. This vulnerability affects the function virtio_fs_probe of the component virtiofs. The manipulation leads to memory leak.
This vulnerability is traded as CVE-2021-46956. There is no exploit available.
It is recommended to upgrade the affected component.
Details
A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 5.4.117/5.10.35/5.11.19/5.12/5.12.2 (Operating System) and classified as problematic. This issue affects the function virtio_fs_probe of the component virtiofs. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a memory leak vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-401. The product does not sufficiently track and release allocated memory after it has been used, which slowly consumes remaining memory. Impacted is availability. The summary by CVE is:
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: virtiofs: fix memory leak in virtio_fs_probe() When accidentally passing twice the same tag to qemu, kmemleak ended up reporting a memory leak in virtiofs. Also, looking at the log I saw the following error (that's when I realised the duplicated tag): virtiofs: probe of virtio5 failed with error -17 Here's the kmemleak log for reference: unreferenced object 0xffff888103d47800 (size 1024): comm "systemd-udevd", pid 118, jiffies 4294893780 (age 18.340s) hex dump (first 32 bytes): 00 00 00 00 ad 4e ad de ff ff ff ff 00 00 00 00 .....N.......... ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff 80 90 02 a0 ff ff ff ff ................ backtrace: [] virtio_fs_probe+0x171/0x7ae [virtiofs] [] virtio_dev_probe+0x15f/0x210 [] really_probe+0xea/0x430 [] device_driver_attach+0xa8/0xb0 [] __driver_attach+0x98/0x140 [] bus_for_each_dev+0x7b/0xc0 [] bus_add_driver+0x11b/0x1f0 [] driver_register+0x8f/0xe0 [] 0xffffffffa002c013 [] do_one_initcall+0x64/0x2e0 [] do_init_module+0x5c/0x260 [] __do_sys_finit_module+0xb5/0x120 [] do_syscall_64+0x33/0x40 [] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae
The weakness was shared 02/27/2024. It is possible to read the advisory at git.kernel.org. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2021-46956. Technical details of the vulnerability are known, but there is no available exploit.
The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 247787 (Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2021-46956), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.
Upgrading to version 5.4.118, 5.10.36, 5.11.20, 5.12.3 or 5.13 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 310efc95c72c/d19555ff225d/9b9d60c0eb8a/5116e79fc6e6/c79c5e017892 is able to eliminate this problem. The bugfix is ready for download at git.kernel.org. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.
The vulnerability is also documented in the vulnerability database at Tenable (247787). Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Product
Type
Vendor
Name
Version
- 5.0
- 5.1
- 5.2
- 5.3
- 5.4
- 5.4.117
- 5.5
- 5.6
- 5.7
- 5.8
- 5.9
- 5.10
- 5.10.0
- 5.10.1
- 5.10.2
- 5.10.3
- 5.10.4
- 5.10.5
- 5.10.6
- 5.10.7
- 5.10.8
- 5.10.9
- 5.10.10
- 5.10.11
- 5.10.12
- 5.10.13
- 5.10.14
- 5.10.15
- 5.10.16
- 5.10.17
- 5.10.18
- 5.10.19
- 5.10.20
- 5.10.21
- 5.10.22
- 5.10.23
- 5.10.24
- 5.10.25
- 5.10.26
- 5.10.27
- 5.10.28
- 5.10.29
- 5.10.30
- 5.10.31
- 5.10.32
- 5.10.33
- 5.10.34
- 5.10.35
- 5.11
- 5.11.0
- 5.11.1
- 5.11.2
- 5.11.3
- 5.11.4
- 5.11.5
- 5.11.6
- 5.11.7
- 5.11.8
- 5.11.9
- 5.11.10
- 5.11.11
- 5.11.12
- 5.11.13
- 5.11.14
- 5.11.15
- 5.11.16
- 5.11.17
- 5.11.18
- 5.11.19
- 5.12
- 5.12.0
- 5.12.1
- 5.12.2
License
Website
- Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/
CPE 2.3
CPE 2.2
CVSSv4
VulDB Vector: 🔍VulDB Reliability: 🔍
CVSSv3
VulDB Meta Base Score: 5.1VulDB Meta Temp Score: 5.0
VulDB Base Score: 4.8
VulDB Temp Score: 4.6
VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍
NVD Base Score: 5.5
NVD Vector: 🔍
CVSSv2
| AV | AC | Au | C | I | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 |
| 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 |
| 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 |
| Vector | Complexity | Authentication | Confidentiality | Integrity | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
| Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
| Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
VulDB Base Score: 🔍
VulDB Temp Score: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍
Exploiting
Class: Memory leakCWE: CWE-401 / CWE-404
CAPEC: 🔍
ATT&CK: 🔍
Physical: Partially
Local: Yes
Remote: Partially
Availability: 🔍
Status: Not defined
EPSS Score: 🔍
EPSS Percentile: 🔍
Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔍
| 0-Day | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
Nessus ID: 247787
Nessus Name: Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2021-46956
Threat Intelligence
Interest: 🔍Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍
Countermeasures
Recommended: UpgradeStatus: 🔍
0-Day Time: 🔍
Upgrade: Kernel 5.4.118/5.10.36/5.11.20/5.12.3/5.13
Patch: 310efc95c72c/d19555ff225d/9b9d60c0eb8a/5116e79fc6e6/c79c5e017892
Timeline
02/27/2024 🔍02/27/2024 🔍
02/27/2024 🔍
08/11/2025 🔍
Sources
Vendor: kernel.orgAdvisory: git.kernel.org
Status: Confirmed
CVE: CVE-2021-46956 (🔍)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2021-46956
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-254939
Entry
Created: 02/27/2024 20:04Updated: 08/11/2025 06:36
Changes: 02/27/2024 20:04 (43), 03/14/2024 16:13 (1), 12/06/2024 19:02 (27), 08/11/2025 06:36 (2)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
No comments yet. Languages: en.
Please log in to comment.