medium
5.5
CWE
476 252
Advisory Published
CVE Published
Updated

CVE-2021-3659: Null Pointer Dereference

First published: Tue Apr 06 2021(Updated: )

A NULL pointer dereference flaw was found in the Linux kernel’s IEEE 802.15.4 wireless networking subsystem in the way the user closes the LR-WPAN connection. This flaw allows a local user to crash the system. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.

Credit: secalert@redhat.com

Affected SoftwareAffected VersionHow to fix
redhat/kernel-rt<0:4.18.0-348.rt7.130.el8
0:4.18.0-348.rt7.130.el8
redhat/kernel<0:4.18.0-348.el8
0:4.18.0-348.el8
redhat/Kernel<5.12
5.12
Linux Kernel<5.12
Red Hat Fedora=34
Red Hat Enterprise Linux=7.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux=8.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for IBM Z Systems=8.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for IBM Z Systems (s390x)=8.6
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Power, little endian - Extended Update Support=8.6
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Real Time=8.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Real Time for NFV=8.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Real Time for NFV=8.6
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Real Time=8.6
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server=8.6
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server=8.6
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server=8.6
All of
Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder
Any of
Red Hat Enterprise Linux=8.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS=8.6
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Power, little endian=8.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Power, little endian - Extended Update Support=8.6
All of
Red Hat Virtualization Host EUS=4.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux=8.0
Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder
Red Hat Enterprise Linux=8.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS=8.6
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Power, little endian=8.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Power, little endian - Extended Update Support=8.6
Red Hat Virtualization Host EUS=4.0
debian/linux
5.10.223-1
5.10.234-1
6.1.129-1
6.1.128-1
6.12.20-1
6.12.21-1

Remedy

To mitigate this issue, prevent the module mac802154 from being loaded. Please see https://access.redhat.com/solutions/41278 for information on how to blacklist a kernel module to prevent it from loading automatically.

Remedy

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1975949

Remedy

https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=1165affd484889d4986cf3b724318935a0b120d8

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Reference Links

Parent vulnerabilities

(Appears in the following advisories)

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the severity of CVE-2021-3659?

    The severity of CVE-2021-3659 is high due to its impact on system availability.

  • How do I fix CVE-2021-3659?

    To fix CVE-2021-3659, upgrade to the patched versions of the Linux kernel as specified by your distribution, such as kernel-rt 0:4.18.0-348.rt7.130.el8 or kernel 0:4.18.0-348.el8.

  • What causes CVE-2021-3659?

    CVE-2021-3659 is caused by a NULL pointer dereference flaw in the IEEE 802.15.4 wireless networking subsystem of the Linux kernel.

  • Which Linux distributions are affected by CVE-2021-3659?

    CVE-2021-3659 affects several Linux distributions including Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora, and Debian.

  • Can CVE-2021-3659 be exploited remotely?

    No, CVE-2021-3659 is a local vulnerability that requires local user access to the system to exploit.

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