# CVE-2021-47095: ipmi: ssif: initialize ssif_info->client early

> A null pointer dereference in the Linux kernel IPMI SSIF driver during probe error handling can cause a system crash.

- **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:** 4 Mar 2024
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2021-47095, GHSA-pqmh-qr2r-5wwj, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-47095

## What is CVE-2021-47095?

CVE-2021-47095 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 4 Mar 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:

ipmi: ssif: initialize ssif_info->client early

During probe ssif_info->client is dereferenced in error path. However,
it is set when some of the error checking has already been done. This
causes following kernel crash if an error path is taken:

[   30.645593][  T674] ipmi_ssif 0-000e: ipmi_ssif: Not probing, Interface already present
[   30.657616][  T674] Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 0000000000000088
...
[   30.657723][  T674] pc : __dev_printk+0x28/0xa0
[   30.657732][  T674] lr : _dev_err+0x7c/0xa0
...
[   30.657772][  T674] Call trace:
[   30.657775][  T674]  __dev_printk+0x28/0xa0
[   30.657778][  T674]  _dev_err+0x7c/0xa0
[   30.657781][  T674]  ssif_probe+0x548/0x900 [ipmi_ssif 62ce4b08badc1458fd896206d9ef69a3c31f3d3e]
[   30.657791][  T674]  i2c_device_probe+0x37c/0x3c0
...

Initialize ssif_info->client before any error path can be taken. Clear
i2c_client data in the error path to prevent the dangling pointer from
leaking.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-47095?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-47095?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2021-47095 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-47095 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-2021-47095 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-47095 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 4 Mar 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-2021-47095 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-2021-47095/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-47095/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-47095
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-47095
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-47095

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-47095/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.