# CVE-2021-47556: ethtool: ioctl: fix potential NULL deref in ethtool_set_coalesce()

> A local attacker can cause a kernel crash by triggering a NULL pointer dereference in ethtool coalesce settings on specific drivers.

- **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-2021-47556, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-47556

## What is CVE-2021-47556?

CVE-2021-47556 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:

ethtool: ioctl: fix potential NULL deref in ethtool_set_coalesce()

ethtool_set_coalesce() now uses both the .get_coalesce() and
.set_coalesce() callbacks. But the check for their availability is
buggy, so changing the coalesce settings on a device where the driver
provides only _one_ of the callbacks results in a NULL pointer
dereference instead of an -EOPNOTSUPP.

Fix the condition so that the availability of both callbacks is
ensured. This also matches the netlink code.

Note that reproducing this requires some effort - it only affects the
legacy ioctl path, and needs a specific combination of driver options:
- have .get_coalesce() and .coalesce_supported but no
 .set_coalesce(), or
- have .set_coalesce() but no .get_coalesce(). Here eg. ethtool doesn't
  cause the crash as it first attempts to call ethtool_get_coalesce()
  and bails out on error.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-47556?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-47556?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2021-47556 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-47556 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-2021-47556 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-47556 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-2021-47556 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-2021-47556/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-47556/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-47556
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-47556
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-47556

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-47556/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.