# CVE-2021-47479: staging: rtl8712: fix use-after-free in rtl8712_dl_fw

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel rtl8712 driver allows attackers to cause denial of service or potentially execute code via a race condition.

- **Severity:** High 7.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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:** 22 May 2024
- **Updated:** 23 May 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2021-47479, GHSA-r7gr-mhrj-m5wq, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-47479

## What is CVE-2021-47479?

CVE-2021-47479 is a high-severity use after free 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:

staging: rtl8712: fix use-after-free in rtl8712_dl_fw

Syzbot reported use-after-free in rtl8712_dl_fw(). The problem was in
race condition between r871xu_dev_remove() ->ndo_open() callback.

It's easy to see from crash log, that driver accesses released firmware
in ->ndo_open() callback. It may happen, since driver was releasing
firmware _before_ unregistering netdev. Fix it by moving
unregister_netdev() before cleaning up resources.

Call Trace:
...
 rtl871x_open_fw drivers/staging/rtl8712/hal_init.c:83 [inline]
 rtl8712_dl_fw+0xd95/0xe10 drivers/staging/rtl8712/hal_init.c:170
 rtl8712_hal_init drivers/staging/rtl8712/hal_init.c:330 [inline]
 rtl871x_hal_init+0xae/0x180 drivers/staging/rtl8712/hal_init.c:394
 netdev_open+0xe6/0x6c0 drivers/staging/rtl8712/os_intfs.c:380
 __dev_open+0x2bc/0x4d0 net/core/dev.c:1484

Freed by task 1306:
...
 release_firmware+0x1b/0x30 drivers/base/firmware_loader/main.c:1053
 r871xu_dev_remove+0xcc/0x2c0 drivers/staging/rtl8712/usb_intf.c:599
 usb_unbind_interface+0x1d8/0x8d0 drivers/usb/core/driver.c:458

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-47479?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-47479?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2021-47479 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-47479 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-2021-47479 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-47479 is a high-severity use after free 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-2021-47479 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-2021-47479/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-47479/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-47479
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-47479
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-47479

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-47479/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.