A newly discovered and resolved vulnerability in the Linux kernel has been assigned the identification number CVE-2021-47042. This post aims to provide an overview of the issue, describe its potential impact, and offer some insight into the fix that was implemented.
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved
drm/amd/display: Free local data after use
The memory leak occurred in the dc_link_construct() function and could have potentially led to a slow degradation of system performance due to memory not being released after use. The details of the affected code were provided in the vulnerability summary:
unreferenced object xffffa03e81471400 (size 1024):
comm "amd_module_load", pid 2486, jiffies 4294946026 (age 10.544s)
hex dump (first 32 bytes):
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
backtrace:
[...]
Links to original references
1. Kernel.org Git commit
2. Linux Kernel Mailing list (LKML)
Exploit details
As of now, there is no known exploit targeting this specific memory leak vulnerability. However, if left unpatched, it could cause a decline in system performance over time due to the continuous allocation of memory without proper release. The vulnerability has been resolved in the latest Linux kernel versions and users are encouraged to update their systems as soon as possible.
Resolution
The fix for this memory leak vulnerability involves freeing the local data after it has been used, as evident in the vulnerability's title:
drm/amd/display: Free local data after use
Users are encouraged to update their Linux kernel to the latest available version containing the fix for this issue. Details of the patch and its implementation can be found in the Kernel.org Git commit.
In conclusion, CVE-2021-47042 describes a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel that has been resolved. Users should update their systems accordingly to mitigate any potential impact.
Timeline
Published on: 02/28/2024 09:15:40 UTC
Last modified on: 02/28/2024 14:06:45 UTC