CVE-2021-43267: Input Validation

Published Nov 2, 2021
·
Updated

A flaw was discovered in the cryptographic receive code in the Linux kernel's implementation of transparent interprocess communication. An attacker, with the ability to send TIPC messages to the target, can corrupt memory and escalate privileges on the target system.

Other sources

A flaw was found in the Transparent Inter-Process Communication (TIPC) functionality in the Linux kernel. This flaw can allow an attacker able to send MSGCRYPTO messages to one of the interconnected nodes to exploit insufficient validation of user-supplied key sizes resulting in memory corruption and potentially privilege escalation.

References:

https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/fa40d9734a57bcbfa79a280189799f76c88f7bb0 https://cdn.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v5.x/ChangeLog-5.14.16 https://thehackernews.com/2021/11/critical-rce-vulnerability-reported-in.html

Red Hat

An issue was discovered in net/tipc/crypto.c in the Linux kernel before 5.14.16. The Transparent Inter-Process Communication (TIPC) functionality allows remote attackers to exploit insufficient validation of user-supplied sizes for the MSGCRYPTO message type.

Affected Software

37 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/kernel-rt<0:4.18.0-348.2.1.rt7.132.el8_5
0:4.18.0-348.2.1.rt7.132.el8_5
redhat/kernel<0:4.18.0-348.2.1.el8_5
0:4.18.0-348.2.1.el8_5
redhat/kernel-rt<0:4.18.0-305.28.1.rt7.100.el8_4
0:4.18.0-305.28.1.rt7.100.el8_4
redhat/kernel<0:4.18.0-305.28.1.el8_4
0:4.18.0-305.28.1.el8_4
Linux Linux kernel>=5.10<5.10.77
Linux Linux kernel>=5.11<5.14.16
Fedoraproject Fedora=34
Fedoraproject Fedora=35
All of the following
NetApp H300s Firmware
NetApp H300s
All of the following
NetApp H500s Firmware
NetApp H500s
All of the following
NetApp H700s Firmware
NetApp H700s
All of the following
NetApp H300e Firmware
NetApp H300e
All of the following
NetApp H500e Firmware
NetApp H500e
All of the following
NetApp H700e Firmware
NetApp H700e
All of the following
NetApp H410s Firmware
NetApp H410s
NetApp H300s Firmware
NetApp H300s
NetApp H500s Firmware
NetApp H500s
NetApp H700s Firmware
NetApp H700s
NetApp H300e Firmware
NetApp H300e
NetApp H500e Firmware
NetApp H500e
NetApp H700e Firmware
NetApp H700e
NetApp H410s Firmware
NetApp H410s
debian/linux
5.10.223-15.10.234-16.1.129-16.1.135-16.12.25-16.12.27-1

Remediation

Information

The TIPC module will NOT be automatically loaded. When required, administrative action is needed to explicitly load this module. Loading the module can be prevented with the following instructions: # echo "install tipc /bin/true" >> /etc/modprobe.d/disable-tipc.conf The system will need to be restarted if the tipc module is loaded. In most circumstances, the TIPC kernel module will be unable to be unloaded while any network interfaces are active and the protocol is in use. If the system requires this module to work correctly, this mitigation may not be suitable. If you need further assistance, see KCS article https://access.redhat.com/solutions/41278 or contact Red Hat Global Support Services. To mitigate the issue on systems that do need to use TIPC and do *not* deploy the TIPC protocol level encryption but rather use different ways to ensure secure communication between nodes (eg. physical network separation, IPSec/MACsec): - BEWARE THAT THIS WILL DISABLE THE TIPC PROTOCOL LEVEL ENCRYPTION - 1) On the host, save the following in a file with the ".stp" extension: %{ #include <linux/skbuff.h> #define MSG_CRYPTO 14 #define SOCK_WAKEUP 14 /* pseudo user */ #define TOP_SRV 15 /* pseudo user */ struct tipc_msg { __be32 hdr[15]; }; static inline struct tipc_msg *buf_msg(struct sk_buff *skb) { return (struct tipc_msg *)skb->data; } static inline u32 msg_word(struct tipc_msg *m, u32 pos) { return ntohl(m->hdr[pos]); } static inline void msg_set_word(struct tipc_msg *m, u32 w, u32 val) { m->hdr[w] = htonl(val); } static inline u32 msg_bits(struct tipc_msg *m, u32 w, u32 pos, u32 mask) { return (msg_word(m, w) >> pos) & mask; } static inline void msg_set_bits(struct tipc_msg *m, u32 w, u32 pos, u32 mask, u32 val) { val = (val & mask) << pos; mask = mask << pos; m->hdr[w] &= ~htonl(mask); m->hdr[w] |= htonl(val); } static inline u32 msg_user(struct tipc_msg *m) { return msg_bits(m, 0, 25, 0xf); } static inline void msg_set_user(struct tipc_msg *m, u32 n) { msg_set_bits(m, 0, 25, 0xf, n); } %} function sanitize:long (skb:long) %{ struct sk_buff *skb; struct tipc_msg *hdr; #if STAP_COMPAT_VERSION >= STAP_VERSION(1,8) skb = (struct sk_buff *) (unsigned long) STAP_ARG_skb; #else skb = (struct sk_buff *) (unsigned long) THIS->skb; #endif hdr = buf_msg(skb); if(msg_user(hdr) == MSG_CRYPTO) { msg_set_user(hdr, TOP_SRV); // set to invalid in this context } %} probe module("tipc").function("tipc_data_input").call { sanitize($skb); } 2) Install the "systemtap" package and any required dependencies (such as kernel-devel and kernel-debuginfo packages). 3) Run the "stap -g [filename-from-step-1].stp" command as root. If the host is rebooted, the changes will be lost and the script must be run again. Alternatively, build the systemtap script on a development system with "stap -g -p 4 [filename-from-step-1].stp", distribute the resulting kernel module to all affected systems, and run "staprun -L <module>" on those. When using this approach only systemtap-runtime package is required on the affected systems. Please notice that the kernel version must be the same across all systems.

Event History

Nov 2, 2021
CVE Published
12:00 AM
CVE Published
via MITRE·10:13 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·10:13 PM
Description
Nov 4, 2021
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·04:37 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Jan 12, 2024
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·12:01 AM
Description
Mar 26, 2024
News Published
via The Register·01:15 PM
News Published
via The Register·01:18 PM
Sep 16, 2024
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·02:36 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Apr 24, 2025
Data Sourced
via Debian·04:33 AM
DescriptionAffected Software

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2021-43267?

CVE-2021-43267 has a high severity rating due to its ability to allow an attacker to corrupt memory and escalate privileges.

2

How do I fix CVE-2021-43267?

To remediate CVE-2021-43267, update to the specified secure versions of the Linux kernel as indicated in the affected software section.

3

Which versions of the Linux kernel are affected by CVE-2021-43267?

CVE-2021-43267 affects Linux kernel versions prior to 5.10.77 and between 5.11 and 5.14.16, as well as specific Red Hat kernel versions.

4

Can CVE-2021-43267 be exploited remotely?

Yes, CVE-2021-43267 can be exploited remotely if an attacker can send TIPC messages to the vulnerable system.

5

What types of systems are impacted by CVE-2021-43267?

CVE-2021-43267 impacts various Linux distributions including specific versions of Red Hat, Fedora, and Debian.

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