CVE-2021-47221
MEDIUMDescription
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/slub: actually fix freelist pointer vs redzoning It turns out that SLUB redzoning ("slub_debug=Z") checks from s->object_size rather than from s->inuse (which is normally bumped to make room for the freelist pointer), so a cache created with an object size less than 24 would have the freelist pointer written beyond s->object_size, causing the redzone to be corrupted by the freelist pointer. This was very visible with "slub_debug=ZF": BUG test (Tainted: G B ): Right Redzone overwritten ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- INFO: 0xffff957ead1c05de-0xffff957ead1c05df @offset=1502. First byte 0x1a instead of 0xbb INFO: Slab 0xffffef3950b47000 objects=170 used=170 fp=0x0000000000000000 flags=0x8000000000000200 INFO: Object 0xffff957ead1c05d8 @offset=1496 fp=0xffff957ead1c0620 Redzone (____ptrval____): bb bb bb bb bb bb bb bb ........ Object (____ptrval____): 00 00 00 00 00 f6 f4 a5 ........ Redzone (____ptrval____): 40 1d e8 1a aa @.... Padding (____ptrval____): 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........ Adjust the offset to stay within s->object_size. (Note that no caches of in this size range are known to exist in the kernel currently.)
How to fix
TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 13% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-763 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2007-4367 | High | 9.3 | 8.2% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2015-2695 | Medium | 5.0 | 6.2% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2013-4695 | High | 7.8 | 5.3% | - | - |
| CVE-2020-36224 | High | 7.5 | 4.3% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2022-31625 | High | 8.1 | 3.4% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2021-42377 | Critical | 9.8 | 3.4% | - | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2021-47221?
Published advisories record a fix for 69 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.
Is CVE-2021-47221 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2021-47221 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 0.22% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 13% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2021-47221?
CVE-2021-47221 has a CVSS v3 base score of 5.5, rated medium. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2021-47221 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for linux (Debian), bpftool (Red Hat / RHEL), bpftool (Rocky), bpftool-debuginfo (Rocky), and 65 more. Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2025-04-29.