# CVE-2021-46937: mm/damon/dbgfs: fix 'struct pid' leaks in 'dbgfs_target_ids_write()'

> Repeated writes to the DAMON debugfs target_ids file leak memory, potentially causing a denial of service in the Linux kernel.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 27 Feb 2024
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2021-46937, GHSA-2hrm-9gxc-3c35, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2021-46937, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-46937

## What is CVE-2021-46937?

CVE-2021-46937 is a medium-severity denial of service 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:

mm/damon/dbgfs: fix 'struct pid' leaks in 'dbgfs_target_ids_write()'

DAMON debugfs interface increases the reference counts of 'struct pid's
for targets from the 'target_ids' file write callback
('dbgfs_target_ids_write()'), but decreases the counts only in DAMON
monitoring termination callback ('dbgfs_before_terminate()').

Therefore, when 'target_ids' file is repeatedly written without DAMON
monitoring start/termination, the reference count is not decreased and
therefore memory for the 'struct pid' cannot be freed.  This commit
fixes this issue by decreasing the reference counts when 'target_ids' is
written.

Weakness: CWE-668 (Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-46937?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-46937?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2021-46937 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-46937 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-46937 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-46937 is a medium-severity denial of service 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-46937 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-46937/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-46937/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-46937
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-46937
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-46937

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-46937/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.