# CVE-2021-46988: userfaultfd: release page in error path to avoid BUG_ON

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's userfaultfd subsystem allows local attackers to trigger a kernel panic via a specific race condition.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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:** 28 Feb 2024
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2021-46988, GHSA-w36p-947m-7c32, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-46988

## What is CVE-2021-46988?

CVE-2021-46988 is a medium-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 28 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:

userfaultfd: release page in error path to avoid BUG_ON

Consider the following sequence of events:

1. Userspace issues a UFFD ioctl, which ends up calling into
   shmem_mfill_atomic_pte(). We successfully account the blocks, we
   shmem_alloc_page(), but then the copy_from_user() fails. We return
   -ENOENT. We don't release the page we allocated.
2. Our caller detects this error code, tries the copy_from_user() after
   dropping the mmap_lock, and retries, calling back into
   shmem_mfill_atomic_pte().
3. Meanwhile, let's say another process filled up the tmpfs being used.
4. So shmem_mfill_atomic_pte() fails to account blocks this time, and
   immediately returns - without releasing the page.

This triggers a BUG_ON in our caller, which asserts that the page
should always be consumed, unless -ENOENT is returned.

To fix this, detect if we have such a "dangling" page when accounting
fails, and if so, release it before returning.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-46988?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-46988?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2021-46988 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-46988 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-2021-46988 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-46988 is a medium-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 28 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-2021-46988 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-2021-46988/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-46988/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-46988
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-46988
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-46988

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-46988/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.