# CVE-2021-46938: dm rq: fix double free of blk_mq_tag_set in dev remove after table load fails

> A double free vulnerability in the Linux kernel device-mapper subsystem can cause a system crash when removing a device after a table load failure.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **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-2021-46938, GHSA-3f9f-wff5-c5pp, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-46938

## What is CVE-2021-46938?

CVE-2021-46938 is a high-severity use after free 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:

dm rq: fix double free of blk_mq_tag_set in dev remove after table load fails

When loading a device-mapper table for a request-based mapped device,
and the allocation/initialization of the blk_mq_tag_set for the device
fails, a following device remove will cause a double free.

E.g. (dmesg):
  device-mapper: core: Cannot initialize queue for request-based dm-mq mapped device
  device-mapper: ioctl: unable to set up device queue for new table.
  Unable to handle kernel pointer dereference in virtual kernel address space
  Failing address: 0305e098835de000 TEID: 0305e098835de803
  Fault in home space mode while using kernel ASCE.
  AS:000000025efe0007 R3:0000000000000024
  Oops: 0038 ilc:3 [#1] SMP
  Modules linked in: ... lots of modules ...
  Supported: Yes, External
  CPU: 0 PID: 7348 Comm: multipathd Kdump: loaded Tainted: G        W      X    5.3.18-53-default #1 SLE15-SP3
  Hardware name: IBM 8561 T01 7I2 (LPAR)
  Krnl PSW : 0704e00180000000 000000025e368eca (kfree+0x42/0x330)
             R:0 T:1 IO:1 EX:1 Key:0 M:1 W:0 P:0 AS:3 CC:2 PM:0 RI:0 EA:3
  Krnl GPRS: 000000000000004a 000000025efe5230 c1773200d779968d 0000000000000000
             000000025e520270 000000025e8d1b40 0000000000000003 00000007aae10000
             000000025e5202a2 0000000000000001 c1773200d779968d 0305e098835de640
             00000007a8170000 000003ff80138650 000000025e5202a2 000003e00396faa8
  Krnl Code: 000000025e368eb8: c4180041e100       lgrl    %r1,25eba50b8
             000000025e368ebe: ecba06b93a55       risbg   %r11,%r10,6,185,58
            #000000025e368ec4: e3b010000008       ag      %r11,0(%r1)
            >000000025e368eca: e310b0080004       lg      %r1,8(%r11)
             000000025e368ed0: a7110001           tmll    %r1,1
             000000025e368ed4: a7740129           brc     7,25e369126
             000000025e368ed8: e320b0080004       lg      %r2,8(%r11)
             000000025e368ede: b904001b           lgr     %r1,%r11
  Call Trace:
   [<000000025e368eca>] kfree+0x42/0x330
   [<000000025e5202a2>] blk_mq_free_tag_set+0x72/0xb8
   [<000003ff801316a8>] dm_mq_cleanup_mapped_device+0x38/0x50 [dm_mod]
   [<000003ff80120082>] free_dev+0x52/0xd0 [dm_mod]
   [<000003ff801233f0>] __dm_destroy+0x150/0x1d0 [dm_mod]
   [<000003ff8012bb9a>] dev_remove+0x162/0x1c0 [dm_mod]
   [<000003ff8012a988>] ctl_ioctl+0x198/0x478 [dm_mod]
   [<000003ff8012ac8a>] dm_ctl_ioctl+0x22/0x38 [dm_mod]
   [<000000025e3b11ee>] ksys_ioctl+0xbe/0xe0
   [<000000025e3b127a>] __s390x_sys_ioctl+0x2a/0x40
   [<000000025e8c15ac>] system_call+0xd8/0x2c8
  Last Breaking-Event-Address:
   [<000000025e52029c>] blk_mq_free_tag_set+0x6c/0xb8
  Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception: panic_on_oops

When allocation/initialization of the blk_mq_tag_set fails in
dm_mq_init_request_queue(), it is uninitialized/freed, but the pointer
is not reset to NULL; so when dev_remove() later gets into
dm_mq_cleanup_mapped_device() it sees the pointer and tries to
uninitialize and free it again.

Fix this by setting the pointer to NULL in dm_mq_init_request_queue()
error-handling. Also set it to NULL in dm_mq_cleanup_mapped_device().

Weakness: CWE-415 (Double Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-46938?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-46938?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2021-46938 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-46938 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-2021-46938 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-46938 is a high-severity use after free 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-2021-46938 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-2021-46938/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-46938/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-46938
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-46938
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-46938

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-46938/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.