# CVE-2021-47566: proc/vmcore: fix clearing user buffer by properly using clear_user()

> A local attacker can trigger a kernel crash by copying vmcore data when using a virtio-mem device with unplugged memory blocks.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/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:** 24 May 2024
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2021-47566, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-47566

## What is CVE-2021-47566?

CVE-2021-47566 is a high-severity memory corruption 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:

proc/vmcore: fix clearing user buffer by properly using clear_user()

To clear a user buffer we cannot simply use memset, we have to use
clear_user().  With a virtio-mem device that registers a vmcore_cb and
has some logically unplugged memory inside an added Linux memory block,
I can easily trigger a BUG by copying the vmcore via "cp":

  systemd[1]: Starting Kdump Vmcore Save Service...
  kdump[420]: Kdump is using the default log level(3).
  kdump[453]: saving to /sysroot/var/crash/127.0.0.1-2021-11-11-14:59:22/
  kdump[458]: saving vmcore-dmesg.txt to /sysroot/var/crash/127.0.0.1-2021-11-11-14:59:22/
  kdump[465]: saving vmcore-dmesg.txt complete
  kdump[467]: saving vmcore
  BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: 00007f2374e01000
  #PF: supervisor write access in kernel mode
  #PF: error_code(0x0003) - permissions violation
  PGD 7a523067 P4D 7a523067 PUD 7a528067 PMD 7a525067 PTE 800000007048f867
  Oops: 0003 [#1] PREEMPT SMP NOPTI
  CPU: 0 PID: 468 Comm: cp Not tainted 5.15.0+ #6
  Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.14.0-27-g64f37cc530f1-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014
  RIP: 0010:read_from_oldmem.part.0.cold+0x1d/0x86
  Code: ff ff ff e8 05 ff fe ff e9 b9 e9 7f ff 48 89 de 48 c7 c7 38 3b 60 82 e8 f1 fe fe ff 83 fd 08 72 3c 49 8d 7d 08 4c 89 e9 89 e8 <49> c7 45 00 00 00 00 00 49 c7 44 05 f8 00 00 00 00 48 83 e7 f81
  RSP: 0018:ffffc9000073be08 EFLAGS: 00010212
  RAX: 0000000000001000 RBX: 00000000002fd000 RCX: 00007f2374e01000
  RDX: 0000000000000001 RSI: 00000000ffffdfff RDI: 00007f2374e01008
  RBP: 0000000000001000 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: ffffc9000073bc50
  R10: ffffc9000073bc48 R11: ffffffff829461a8 R12: 000000000000f000
  R13: 00007f2374e01000 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: ffff88807bd421e8
  FS:  00007f2374e12140(0000) GS:ffff88807f000000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
  CS:  0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
  CR2: 00007f2374e01000 CR3: 000000007a4aa000 CR4: 0000000000350eb0
  Call Trace:
   read_vmcore+0x236/0x2c0
   proc_reg_read+0x55/0xa0
   vfs_read+0x95/0x190
   ksys_read+0x4f/0xc0
   do_syscall_64+0x3b/0x90
   entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae

Some x86-64 CPUs have a CPU feature called "Supervisor Mode Access
Prevention (SMAP)", which is used to detect wrong access from the kernel
to user buffers like this: SMAP triggers a permissions violation on
wrong access.  In the x86-64 variant of clear_user(), SMAP is properly
handled via clac()+stac().

To fix, properly use clear_user() when we're dealing with a user buffer.

Weakness: CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-47566?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-47566?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2021-47566 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-47566 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-2021-47566 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-47566 is a high-severity memory corruption 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-2021-47566 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-2021-47566/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-47566/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-47566
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-47566
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-47566

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-47566/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.