CVE-2021-47131: net/tls: Fix use-after-free after the TLS device goes down and up

Published Mar 15, 2024
·
Updated

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net/tls: Fix use-after-free after the TLS device goes down and up

When a netdev with active TLS offload goes down, tlsdevicedown is called to stop the offload and tear down the TLS context. However, the socket stays alive, and it still points to the TLS context, which is now deallocated. If a netdev goes up, while the connection is still active, and the data flow resumes after a number of TCP retransmissions, it will lead to a use-after-free of the TLS context.

This commit addresses this bug by keeping the context alive until its normal destruction, and implements the necessary fallbacks, so that the connection can resume in software (non-offloaded) kTLS mode.

On the TX side tlsswfallback is used to encrypt all packets. The RX side already has all the necessary fallbacks, because receiving non-decrypted packets is supported. The thing needed on the RX side is to block resync requests, which are normally produced after receiving non-decrypted packets.

The necessary synchronization is implemented for a graceful teardown: first the fallbacks are deployed, then the driver resources are released (it used to be possible to have a tlsdevresync after tlsdevdel).

A new flag called TLSRXDEVDEGRADED is added to indicate the fallback mode. It's used to skip the RX resync logic completely, as it becomes useless, and some objects may be released (for example, resyncasync, which is allocated and freed by the driver).

Affected Software

7 affected componentsFixes available
Linux Linux kernel>=4.18<5.10.43
Linux Linux kernel>=5.11<5.12.10
Linux Linux kernel=5.13-rc1
Linux Linux kernel=5.13-rc2
Linux Linux kernel=5.13-rc3
Linux Linux kernel=5.13-rc4
debian/linux
5.10.223-15.10.234-16.1.129-16.1.135-16.12.27-1

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade debian/linux to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 5.10.223-1Fixed in 5.10.234-1Fixed in 6.1.129-1Fixed in 6.1.135-1Fixed in 6.12.27-1

Event History

Mar 15, 2024
CVE Published
via MITRE·08:14 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·08:14 PM
DescriptionSeverity
Data Sourced
via NVD·09:15 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Jul 29, 2024
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·03:01 PM
Description
Apr 27, 2025
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·03:47 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
May 13, 2025
Data Sourced
via Debian·03:50 PM
DescriptionAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2021-47131?

CVE-2021-47131 is classified as a medium severity vulnerability.

2

How do I fix CVE-2021-47131?

To fix CVE-2021-47131, upgrade to the patched versions: 5.10.223-1, 5.10.226-1, 6.1.123-1, 6.1.119-1 or 6.12.11-1.

3

What causes the vulnerability CVE-2021-47131?

CVE-2021-47131 is caused by a use-after-free condition occurring when a network device with active TLS offload is stopped and restarted.

4

Which systems are affected by CVE-2021-47131?

CVE-2021-47131 affects Linux systems running specific versions of the Linux kernel with TLS offload capabilities.

5

Is there a public exploit for CVE-2021-47131?

As of now, there are no known public exploits specifically targeting CVE-2021-47131.

Contact

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