# CVE-2021-47528: usb: cdnsp: Fix a NULL pointer dereference in cdnsp_endpoint_init()

> A NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel's cdnsp USB gadget driver can cause a system crash, requiring a patched kernel to prevent 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:** 24 May 2024
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2021-47528, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-47528

## What is CVE-2021-47528?

CVE-2021-47528 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 24 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:

usb: cdnsp: Fix a NULL pointer dereference in cdnsp_endpoint_init()

In cdnsp_endpoint_init(), cdnsp_ring_alloc() is assigned to pep->ring
and there is a dereference of it in cdnsp_endpoint_init(), which could
lead to a NULL pointer dereference on failure of cdnsp_ring_alloc().

Fix this bug by adding a check of pep->ring.

This bug was found by a static analyzer. The analysis employs
differential checking to identify inconsistent security operations
(e.g., checks or kfrees) between two code paths and confirms that the
inconsistent operations are not recovered in the current function or
the callers, so they constitute bugs.

Note that, as a bug found by static analysis, it can be a false
positive or hard to trigger. Multiple researchers have cross-reviewed
the bug.

Builds with CONFIG_USB_CDNSP_GADGET=y show no new warnings,
and our static analyzer no longer warns about this code.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-47528?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-47528?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2021-47528 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-47528 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-2021-47528 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-47528 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 24 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-2021-47528 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-2021-47528/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-47528/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-47528
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-47528
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-47528

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-47528/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.