CVE-2021-46986
5.5 · MEDIUMOverview
CVE-2021-46986 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on February 28, 2024 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
Technical Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
usb: dwc3: gadget: Free gadget structure only after freeing endpoints
As part of commit e81a7018d93a ("usb: dwc3: allocate gadget structure
dynamically") the dwc3_gadget_release() was added which will free
the dwc->gadget structure upon the device's removal when
usb_del_gadget_udc() is called in dwc3_gadget_exit().
However, simply freeing the gadget results a dangling pointer
situation: the endpoints created in dwc3_gadget_init_endpoints()
have their dep->endpoint.ep_list members chained off the list_head
anchored at dwc->gadget->ep_list. Thus when dwc->gadget is freed,
the first dwc3_ep in the list now has a dangling prev pointer and
likewise for the next pointer of the dwc3_ep at the tail of the list.
The dwc3_gadget_free_endpoints() that follows will result in a
use-after-free when it calls list_del().
This was caught by enabling KASAN and performing a driver unbind.
The recent commit 568262bf5492 ("usb: dwc3:
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from linux. Update linux_kernel to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| linux | linux_kernel | >= 5.10, < 5.10.38 | Affected |
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2021-46986?
CVE-2021-46986 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on February 28, 2024 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2021-46986?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2021-46986?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from linux. Update linux_kernel to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2021-46986?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2021-46986 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
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