# CVE-2021-47217: x86/hyperv: Fix NULL deref in set_hv_tscchange_cb() if Hyper-V setup fails

> A NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel Hyper-V driver causes a system crash if Hyper-V setup fails, leading to denial of service.

- **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:** 10 Apr 2024
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2021-47217, GHSA-9jpw-f586-mqqf, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-47217

## What is CVE-2021-47217?

CVE-2021-47217 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 10 Apr 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:

x86/hyperv: Fix NULL deref in set_hv_tscchange_cb() if Hyper-V setup fails

Check for a valid hv_vp_index array prior to derefencing hv_vp_index when
setting Hyper-V's TSC change callback.  If Hyper-V setup failed in
hyperv_init(), the kernel will still report that it's running under
Hyper-V, but will have silently disabled nearly all functionality.

  BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000010
  #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode
  #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page
  PGD 0 P4D 0
  Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP
  CPU: 4 PID: 1 Comm: swapper/0 Not tainted 5.15.0-rc2+ #75
  Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 0.0.0 02/06/2015
  RIP: 0010:set_hv_tscchange_cb+0x15/0xa0
  Code: <8b> 04 82 8b 15 12 17 85 01 48 c1 e0 20 48 0d ee 00 01 00 f6 c6 08
  ...
  Call Trace:
   kvm_arch_init+0x17c/0x280
   kvm_init+0x31/0x330
   vmx_init+0xba/0x13a
   do_one_initcall+0x41/0x1c0
   kernel_init_freeable+0x1f2/0x23b
   kernel_init+0x16/0x120
   ret_from_fork+0x22/0x30

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-47217?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-47217?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2021-47217 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-47217 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-2021-47217 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-47217 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 10 Apr 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-2021-47217 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-2021-47217/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-47217/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-47217
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-47217
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-47217

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-47217/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.