# CVE-2021-47597: inet_diag: fix kernel-infoleak for UDP sockets

> Uninitialized memory in Linux kernel UDP socket diagnostics allows unprivileged users to read kernel memory.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **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:** 19 Jun 2024
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2021-47597, GHSA-q884-jcxw-49wr, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-47597

## What is CVE-2021-47597?

CVE-2021-47597 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 19 Jun 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:

inet_diag: fix kernel-infoleak for UDP sockets

KMSAN reported a kernel-infoleak [1], that can exploited
by unpriv users.

After analysis it turned out UDP was not initializing
r->idiag_expires. Other users of inet_sk_diag_fill()
might make the same mistake in the future, so fix this
in inet_sk_diag_fill().

[1]
BUG: KMSAN: kernel-infoleak in instrument_copy_to_user include/linux/instrumented.h:121 [inline]
BUG: KMSAN: kernel-infoleak in copyout lib/iov_iter.c:156 [inline]
BUG: KMSAN: kernel-infoleak in _copy_to_iter+0x69d/0x25c0 lib/iov_iter.c:670
 instrument_copy_to_user include/linux/instrumented.h:121 [inline]
 copyout lib/iov_iter.c:156 [inline]
 _copy_to_iter+0x69d/0x25c0 lib/iov_iter.c:670
 copy_to_iter include/linux/uio.h:155 [inline]
 simple_copy_to_iter+0xf3/0x140 net/core/datagram.c:519
 __skb_datagram_iter+0x2cb/0x1280 net/core/datagram.c:425
 skb_copy_datagram_iter+0xdc/0x270 net/core/datagram.c:533
 skb_copy_datagram_msg include/linux/skbuff.h:3657 [inline]
 netlink_recvmsg+0x660/0x1c60 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1974
 sock_recvmsg_nosec net/socket.c:944 [inline]
 sock_recvmsg net/socket.c:962 [inline]
 sock_read_iter+0x5a9/0x630 net/socket.c:1035
 call_read_iter include/linux/fs.h:2156 [inline]
 new_sync_read fs/read_write.c:400 [inline]
 vfs_read+0x1631/0x1980 fs/read_write.c:481
 ksys_read+0x28c/0x520 fs/read_write.c:619
 __do_sys_read fs/read_write.c:629 [inline]
 __se_sys_read fs/read_write.c:627 [inline]
 __x64_sys_read+0xdb/0x120 fs/read_write.c:627
 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:51 [inline]
 do_syscall_64+0x54/0xd0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:82
 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae

Uninit was created at:
 slab_post_alloc_hook mm/slab.h:524 [inline]
 slab_alloc_node mm/slub.c:3251 [inline]
 __kmalloc_node_track_caller+0xe0c/0x1510 mm/slub.c:4974
 kmalloc_reserve net/core/skbuff.c:354 [inline]
 __alloc_skb+0x545/0xf90 net/core/skbuff.c:426
 alloc_skb include/linux/skbuff.h:1126 [inline]
 netlink_dump+0x3d5/0x16a0 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2245
 __netlink_dump_start+0xd1c/0xee0 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2370
 netlink_dump_start include/linux/netlink.h:254 [inline]
 inet_diag_handler_cmd+0x2e7/0x400 net/ipv4/inet_diag.c:1343
 sock_diag_rcv_msg+0x24a/0x620
 netlink_rcv_skb+0x447/0x800 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2491
 sock_diag_rcv+0x63/0x80 net/core/sock_diag.c:276
 netlink_unicast_kernel net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1319 [inline]
 netlink_unicast+0x1095/0x1360 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1345
 netlink_sendmsg+0x16f3/0x1870 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1916
 sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:704 [inline]
 sock_sendmsg net/socket.c:724 [inline]
 sock_write_iter+0x594/0x690 net/socket.c:1057
 do_iter_readv_writev+0xa7f/0xc70
 do_iter_write+0x52c/0x1500 fs/read_write.c:851
 vfs_writev fs/read_write.c:924 [inline]
 do_writev+0x63f/0xe30 fs/read_write.c:967
 __do_sys_writev fs/read_write.c:1040 [inline]
 __se_sys_writev fs/read_write.c:1037 [inline]
 __x64_sys_writev+0xe5/0x120 fs/read_write.c:1037
 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:51 [inline]
 do_syscall_64+0x54/0xd0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:82
 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae

Bytes 68-71 of 312 are uninitialized
Memory access of size 312 starts at ffff88812ab54000
Data copied to user address 0000000020001440

CPU: 1 PID: 6365 Comm: syz-executor801 Not tainted 5.16.0-rc3-syzkaller #0
Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 01/01/2011

Weakness: CWE-908 (Use of Uninitialized Resource)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-47597?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-47597?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2021-47597 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-47597 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-2021-47597 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-47597 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 19 Jun 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-2021-47597 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-2021-47597/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-47597/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-47597
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-47597
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-47597

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-47597/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.
