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Unscored CVE-2021-46988 EUVD-2021-33636GHSA-w36p-947m-7c32

userfaultfd: release page in error path to avoid BUG_ON

Published Feb 28, 2024 · Updated May 11, 2026 · Assigned by Linux

Vendor: Linux Product: Linux Package: linux Package: linux Package: linux-allwinner-5.19 Package: linux-aws Package: linux-aws-5.0 Package: linux-aws-5.11 Package: linux-aws-5.13 Package: linux-aws-5.19 Package: linux-aws-5.3 Package: linux-aws-5.4 Package: linux-aws-5.8 Package: linux-aws-6.2 Package: linux-aws-fips Package: linux-aws-hwe Package: linux-azure Package: linux-azure-4.15 Package: linux-azure-5.11 Package: linux-azure-5.13 Package: linux-azure-5.19 Package: linux-azure-5.3 Package: linux-azure-5.4 Package: linux-azure-5.8 Package: linux-azure-6.2 Package: linux-azure-edge Package: linux-azure-fde Package: linux-azure-fde-5.19 Package: linux-azure-fde-6.2 Package: linux-azure-fips Package: linux-bluefield Package: linux-fips Package: linux-gcp Package: linux-gcp-4.15 Package: linux-gcp-5.11 Package: linux-gcp-5.13 Package: linux-gcp-5.19 Package: linux-gcp-5.3 Package: linux-gcp-5.4 Package: linux-gcp-5.8 Package: linux-gcp-6.2 Package: linux-gcp-fips Package: linux-gke Package: linux-gke-4.15 Package: linux-gke-5.15 Package: linux-gke-5.4 Package: linux-gkeop Package: linux-gkeop-5.4 Package: linux-hwe Package: linux-hwe-5.11 Package: linux-hwe-5.13 Package: linux-hwe-5.19 Package: linux-hwe-5.4 Package: linux-hwe-5.8 Package: linux-hwe-6.2 Package: linux-hwe-edge Package: linux-intel-5.13 Package: linux-intel-iot-realtime Package: linux-kvm Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.19 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.2 Package: linux-nvidia-6.2 Package: linux-oem Package: linux-oem-5.10 Package: linux-oem-5.13 Package: linux-oem-5.14 Package: linux-oem-5.17 Package: linux-oem-5.6 Package: linux-oem-6.0 Package: linux-oem-6.1 Package: linux-oracle Package: linux-oracle-5.0 Package: linux-oracle-5.11 Package: linux-oracle-5.13 Package: linux-oracle-5.3 Package: linux-oracle-5.4 Package: linux-oracle-5.8 Package: linux-raspi Package: linux-raspi-5.4 Package: linux-raspi-realtime Package: linux-raspi2 Package: linux-realtime Package: linux-riscv Package: linux-riscv-5.11 Package: linux-riscv-5.19 Package: linux-riscv-5.8 Package: linux-starfive-5.19 Package: linux-starfive-6.2 Package: linux-vmware Platform: Linux Ecosystem: Debian Ecosystem: Ubuntu

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.

Affected products

VendorProductAffectedFixed
Linux Linux 4.11 4.14.233

Fixed in Linux distributions

Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.

ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Debian 14 linux 5.10.38-1 —
Debian 13 linux 5.10.38-1 —
Debian 12 linux 5.10.38-1 —
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS linux-raspi-realtime No fix yet —
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS linux-riscv +22 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux 5.4.0-80.90 —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-aws 5.4.0-1054.57 —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-azure 5.4.0-1055.57 —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-bluefield 5.4.0-1016.19 —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-gcp 5.4.0-1049.53 —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-gke +26 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-gkeop 5.4.0-1021.22 —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-kvm 5.4.0-1044.46 —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-oracle 5.4.0-1052.56 —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-raspi 5.4.0-1041.45 —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux 4.15.0-151.157 —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-aws 4.15.0-1109.116 —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-aws-5.4 5.4.0-1054.57~18.04.1 —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-azure-4.15 4.15.0-1121.134 —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-azure-5.4 5.4.0-1055.57~18.04.1 —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-gcp +14 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-gcp-4.15 4.15.0-1106.120 —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-gcp-5.4 5.4.0-1049.53~18.04.1 —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-hwe-5.4 5.4.0-80.90~18.04.1 —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-kvm 4.15.0-1097.99 —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-oracle 4.15.0-1078.86 —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-oracle-5.4 5.4.0-1052.56~18.04.1 —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-raspi-5.4 5.4.0-1041.45~18.04.1 —
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS linux-hwe-edge No fix yet —
Show 6 more (older releases, extended support, other products)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu Pro FIPS 20.04 LTS linux-fips +3 No fix yet —
Ubuntu Pro FIPS 18.04 LTS linux-fips +3 No fix yet —
Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS linux-aws-fips 5.4.0-1069.73+fips2 —
Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS linux-azure-fips 5.4.0-1073.76+fips1 —
Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS linux-fips 5.4.0-1031.36 —
Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS linux-gcp-fips 5.4.0-1067.71~20.04.1 —
Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 18.04 LTS linux-aws-fips 4.15.0-2051.53 —
Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 18.04 LTS linux-azure-fips 4.15.0-2033.37 —
Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 18.04 LTS linux-fips 4.15.0-1066.75 —
Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 18.04 LTS linux-gcp-fips 4.15.0-2016.18 —
Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS linux-aws-hwe 4.15.0-1109.116~16.04.1 —
Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS linux-azure 4.15.0-1121.134~16.04.1 —
Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS linux-gcp 4.15.0-1106.120~16.04.1 —
Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS linux-hwe 4.15.0-151.157~16.04.1 —
Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS linux-oracle 4.15.0-1078.86~16.04.1 —
Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS linux-azure 4.15.0-1121.134~14.04.1 —
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
SLES 15 SP3 kernel-64kb +7 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLES 15 SP3 kernel-default-base 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1.150300.18.92.5 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLES 15 SP2 kernel-default-base 5.3.18-150200.24.188.1.150200.9.95.3 SUSE-SU-2024:1454-1
SLES 15 SP2 kernel-docs +5 5.3.18-150200.24.188.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1454-1
SLES 12 SP5 kernel-azure +2 4.12.14-16.182.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1643-1
SLES 12 SP5 kernel-docs +4 4.12.14-122.216.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1870-1
Show 12 more (older releases, extended support, other products)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
SLES for SAP 15 SP3 kernel-default-base 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1.150300.18.92.5 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLES for SAP 15 SP3 kernel-docs +5 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLES for SAP 15 SP2 kernel-default-base 5.3.18-150200.24.188.1.150200.9.95.3 SUSE-SU-2024:1454-1
SLES for SAP 15 SP2 kernel-docs +5 5.3.18-150200.24.188.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1454-1
SLES for SAP 12 SP5 kernel-azure +2 4.12.14-16.182.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1643-1
SLES for SAP 12 SP5 kernel-syms +2 4.12.14-122.216.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1870-1
SLE Real Time 12 SP5 kernel-rt +3 4.12.14-10.182.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1646-1
SLE Micro 5.2 kernel-default 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLE Micro 5.2 kernel-default-base 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1.150300.18.92.5 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLE Micro 5.2 kernel-rt +1 5.3.18-150300.166.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1465-1
SLE Micro 5.1 kernel-default 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLE Micro 5.1 kernel-default-base 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1.150300.18.92.5 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLE Micro 5.1 kernel-rt +1 5.3.18-150300.166.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1465-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP3 kernel-default 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP3 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP3_Update_43 1-150300.7.3.5 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP2 kernel-default 5.3.18-150200.24.188.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1454-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP2 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP2_Update_47 1-150200.5.3.3 SUSE-SU-2024:1454-1
SLE Live Patching 12 SP5 kernel-default 4.12.14-122.216.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1870-1
SLE Live Patching 12 SP5 kgraft-patch-SLE12-SP5_Update_56 1-8.3.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1870-1
SLE HPC 15 SP3 kernel-64kb +6 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLE HPC 15 SP3 kernel-default-base 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1.150300.18.92.5 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLE HPC 15 SP2 kernel-default-base 5.3.18-150200.24.188.1.150200.9.95.3 SUSE-SU-2024:1454-1
SLE HPC 15 SP2 kernel-docs +5 5.3.18-150200.24.188.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1454-1
SUSE Enterprise Storage 7.1 kernel-64kb +6 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SUSE Enterprise Storage 7.1 kernel-default-base 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1.150300.18.92.5 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1

Amazon Linux

ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Amazon Linux 2 kernel-livepatch-4.14.238-182.421 1.0-0.amzn2 ALAS2-2021-1685
Amazon Linux 2 perf +8 4.14.238-182.421.amzn2 ALAS2-2021-1685

Advisories 7

References