CVE-2021-46916 ixgbe: Fix NULL pointer dereference in ethtool loopback test
A local attacker can cause a denial of service in the Linux kernel ixgbe driver by triggering a NULL pointer dereference during ethtool loopback tests.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2021-46916?
CVE-2021-46916 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 Feb 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ixgbe: Fix NULL pointer dereference in ethtool loopback test
The ixgbe driver currently generates a NULL pointer dereference when performing the ethtool loopback test. This is due to the fact that there isn't a q_vector associated with the test ring when it is setup as interrupts are not normally added to the test rings.
To address this I have added code that will check for a q_vector before returning a napi_id value. If a q_vector is not present it will return a value of 0.
Weakness: CWE-476
Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-46916?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2021-46916?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2021-46916 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-46916 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2021-46916, GHSA-9fx9-j289-p7f2, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-46916.