CVE-2021-47531

CVE-2021-47531 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.

Key facts

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/msm: Fix mmap to include VM_IO and VM_DONTDUMP In commit 510410bfc034 ("drm/msm: Implement mmap as GEM object function") we switched to a new/cleaner method of doing things. That's good, but we missed a little bit. Before that commit, we used to _first_ run through the drm_gem_mmap_obj() case where `obj->funcs->mmap()` was NULL. That meant that we ran: vma->vm_flags |= VM_IO | VM_PFNMAP | VM_DONTEXPAND | VM_DONTDUMP; vma->vm_page_prot = pgprot_writecombine(vm_get_page_prot(vma->vm_flags)); vma->vm_page_prot = pgprot_decrypted(vma->vm_page_prot); ...and _then_ we modified those mappings with our own. Now that `obj->funcs->mmap()` is no longer NULL we don't run the default code. It looks like the fact that the vm_flags got VM_IO / VM_DONTDUMP was important because we're now getting crashes on Chromebooks that use ARC++ while logging out. Specifically a crash that looks like this (this is on a 5.10 kernel w/ relevant backports but also seen on a 5.15 kernel): Unable to handle kernel paging request at virtual address ffffffc008000000 Mem abort info: ESR = 0x96000006 EC = 0x25: DABT (current EL), IL = 32 bits SET = 0, FnV = 0 EA = 0, S1PTW = 0 Data abort info: ISV = 0, ISS = 0x00000006 CM = 0, WnR = 0 swapper pgtable: 4k pages, 39-bit VAs, pgdp=000000008293d000 [ffffffc008000000] pgd=00000001002b3003, p4d=00000001002b3003, pud=00000001002b3003, pmd=0000000000000000 Internal error: Oops: 96000006 [#1] PREEMPT SMP [...] CPU: 7 PID: 15734 Comm: crash_dump64 Tainted: G W 5.10.67 #1 [...] Hardware name: Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. sc7280 IDP SKU2 platform (DT) pstate: 80400009 (Nzcv daif +PAN -UAO -TCO BTYPE=--) pc : __arch_copy_to_user+0xc0/0x30c lr : copyout+0xac/0x14c [...] Call trace: __arch_copy_to_user+0xc0/0x30c copy_page_to_iter+0x1a0/0x294 process_vm_rw_core+0x240/0x408 process_vm_rw+0x110/0x16c __arm64_sys_process_vm_readv+0x30/0x3c el0_svc_common+0xf8/0x250 do_el0_svc+0x30/0x80 el0_svc+0x10/0x1c el0_sync_handler+0x78/0x108 el0_sync+0x184/0x1c0 Code: f8408423 f80008c3 910020c6 36100082 (b8404423) Let's add the two flags back in. While we're at it, the fact that we aren't running the default means that we _don't_ need to clear out VM_PFNMAP, so remove that and save an instruction. NOTE: it was confirmed that VM_IO was the important flag to fix the problem I was seeing, but adding back VM_DONTDUMP seems like a sane thing to do so I'm doing that too.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-47531?
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/msm: Fix mmap to include VM_IO and VM_DONTDUMP In commit 510410bfc034 ("drm/msm: Implement mmap as GEM object function") we switched to a new/cleaner method of doing things. That's good, but we missed a little bit. Before that commit, we used to _first_ run through the drm_gem_mmap_obj() case where `obj->funcs->mmap()` was NULL. That meant that we ran: vma->vm_flags |= VM_IO | VM_PFNMAP | VM_DONTEXPAND | VM_DONTDUMP; vma->vm_page_prot = pgprot_writecombine(vm_get_page_prot(vma->vm_flags)); vma->vm_page_prot = pgprot_decrypted(vma->vm_page_prot); ...and _then_ we modified those mappings with our own. Now that `obj->funcs->mmap()` is no longer NULL we don't run the default code. It looks like the fact that the vm_flags got VM_IO / VM_DONTDUMP was important because we're now getting crashes on Chromebooks that use ARC++ while logging out. Specifically a crash that looks like this (this is on a 5.10 kernel w/ relevant backports but also seen on a 5.15 kernel): Unable to handle kernel paging request at virtual address ffffffc008000000 Mem abort info: ESR = 0x96000006 EC = 0x25: DABT (current EL), IL = 32 bits SET = 0, FnV = 0 EA = 0, S1PTW = 0 Data abort info: ISV = 0, ISS = 0x00000006 CM = 0, WnR = 0 swapper pgtable: 4k pages, 39-bit VAs, pgdp=000000008293d000 [ffffffc008000000] pgd=00000001002b3003, p4d=00000001002b3003, pud=00000001002b3003, pmd=0000000000000000 Internal error: Oops: 96000006 [#1] PREEMPT SMP [...] CPU: 7 PID: 15734 Comm: crash_dump64 Tainted: G W 5.10.67 #1 [...] Hardware name: Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. sc7280 IDP SKU2 platform (DT) pstate: 80400009 (Nzcv daif +PAN -UAO -TCO BTYPE=--) pc : __arch_copy_to_user+0xc0/0x30c lr : copyout+0xac/0x14c [...] Call trace: __arch_copy_to_user+0xc0/0x30c copy_page_to_iter+0x1a0/0x294 process_vm_rw_core+0x240/0x408 process_vm_rw+0x110/0x16c __arm64_sys_process_vm_readv+0x30/0x3c el0_svc_common+0xf8/0x250 do_el0_svc+0x30/0x80 el0_svc+0x10/0x1c el0_sync_handler+0x78/0x108 el0_sync+0x184/0x1c0 Code: f8408423 f80008c3 910020c6 36100082 (b8404423) Let's add the two flags back in. While we're at it, the fact that we aren't running the default means that we _don't_ need to clear out VM_PFNMAP, so remove that and save an instruction. NOTE: it was confirmed that VM_IO was the important flag to fix the problem I was seeing, but adding back VM_DONTDUMP seems like a sane thing to do so I'm doing that too.
How severe is CVE-2021-47531?
CVE-2021-47531 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-47531 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (11th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-47531?
CVE-2021-47531 primarily affects Linux Linux Kernel. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-47531?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
Does CVE-2021-47531 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2021-47531 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2021-34534.
When was CVE-2021-47531 published?
CVE-2021-47531 was published on 2024-05-24 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (4)

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