# CVE-2021-47434: xhci: Fix command ring pointer corruption while aborting a command

> A race condition in the Linux kernel xHCI driver can corrupt the command ring pointer, leading to memory access failures and 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:** 22 May 2024
- **Updated:** 23 May 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2021-47434, GHSA-5ggq-5m2f-79jm, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-47434

## What is CVE-2021-47434?

CVE-2021-47434 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 22 May 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:

xhci: Fix command ring pointer corruption while aborting a command

The command ring pointer is located at [6:63] bits of the command
ring control register (CRCR). All the control bits like command stop,
abort are located at [0:3] bits. While aborting a command, we read the
CRCR and set the abort bit and write to the CRCR. The read will always
give command ring pointer as all zeros. So we essentially write only
the control bits. Since we split the 64 bit write into two 32 bit writes,
there is a possibility of xHC command ring stopped before the upper
dword (all zeros) is written. If that happens, xHC updates the upper
dword of its internal command ring pointer with all zeros. Next time,
when the command ring is restarted, we see xHC memory access failures.
Fix this issue by only writing to the lower dword of CRCR where all
control bits are located.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-47434?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-47434?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2021-47434 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-47434 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-2021-47434 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-47434 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 22 May 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-2021-47434 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-2021-47434/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-47434/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-47434
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-47434
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-47434

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-47434/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.