How severe is CVE-2021-47479?

CVE-2021-47479 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.0, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-47479 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (13th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-47479?

CVE-2021-47479 primarily affects Linux Linux Kernel. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-47479?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

Does CVE-2021-47479 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2021-47479 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2021-34484.

When was CVE-2021-47479 published?

CVE-2021-47479 was published on 2024-05-22 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-47479

CVE-2021-47479 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.0. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-416.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.0)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (13th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2021-34484
Weakness: CWE-416
Affected product: Linux Linux Kernel
Published: 2024-05-22
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: staging: rtl8712: fix use-after-free in rtl8712_dl_fw Syzbot reported use-after-free in rtl8712_dl_fw(). The problem was in race condition between r871xu_dev_remove() ->ndo_open() callback. It's easy to see from crash log, that driver accesses released firmware in ->ndo_open() callback. It may happen, since driver was releasing firmware _before_ unregistering netdev. Fix it by moving unregister_netdev() before cleaning up resources. Call Trace: ... rtl871x_open_fw drivers/staging/rtl8712/hal_init.c:83 [inline] rtl8712_dl_fw+0xd95/0xe10 drivers/staging/rtl8712/hal_init.c:170 rtl8712_hal_init drivers/staging/rtl8712/hal_init.c:330 [inline] rtl871x_hal_init+0xae/0x180 drivers/staging/rtl8712/hal_init.c:394 netdev_open+0xe6/0x6c0 drivers/staging/rtl8712/os_intfs.c:380 __dev_open+0x2bc/0x4d0 net/core/dev.c:1484 Freed by task 1306: ... release_firmware+0x1b/0x30 drivers/base/firmware_loader/main.c:1053 r871xu_dev_remove+0xcc/0x2c0 drivers/staging/rtl8712/usb_intf.c:599 usb_unbind_interface+0x1d8/0x8d0 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:458

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-47479?: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: staging: rtl8712: fix use-after-free in rtl8712_dl_fw Syzbot reported use-after-free in rtl8712_dl_fw(). The problem was in race condition between r871xu_dev_remove() ->ndo_open() callback. It's easy to see from crash log, that driver accesses released firmware in ->ndo_open() callback. It may happen, since driver was releasing firmware _before_ unregistering netdev. Fix it by moving unregister_netdev() before cleaning up resources. Call Trace: ... rtl871x_open_fw drivers/staging/rtl8712/hal_init.c:83 [inline] rtl8712_dl_fw+0xd95/0xe10 drivers/staging/rtl8712/hal_init.c:170 rtl8712_hal_init drivers/staging/rtl8712/hal_init.c:330 [inline] rtl871x_hal_init+0xae/0x180 drivers/staging/rtl8712/hal_init.c:394 netdev_open+0xe6/0x6c0 drivers/staging/rtl8712/os_intfs.c:380 __dev_open+0x2bc/0x4d0 net/core/dev.c:1484 Freed by task 1306: ... release_firmware+0x1b/0x30 drivers/base/firmware_loader/main.c:1053 r871xu_dev_remove+0xcc/0x2c0 drivers/staging/rtl8712/usb_intf.c:599 usb_unbind_interface+0x1d8/0x8d0 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:458
How severe is CVE-2021-47479?: CVE-2021-47479 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.0, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-47479 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (13th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-47479?: CVE-2021-47479 primarily affects Linux Linux Kernel. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-47479?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
Does CVE-2021-47479 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2021-47479 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2021-34484.
When was CVE-2021-47479 published?: CVE-2021-47479 was published on 2024-05-22 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (6)

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:3.3:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:3.3:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:3.3:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:3.3:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:3.3:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:*

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