x86/fpu: Invalidate FPU state after a failed XRSTOR from a user buffer
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Information disclosure
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 2 fixed, 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-203.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: x86/fpu: Invalidate FPU state after a failed XRSTOR from a user buffer Both Intel and AMD consider it to be architecturally valid for XRSTOR to fail with #PF but nonetheless change the register state. The actual conditions under which this might occur are unclear [1], but it seems plausible that this might be triggered if one sibling thread unmaps a page and invalidates the shared TLB while another sibling thread is executing XRSTOR on the page in question. __fpu__restore_sig() can execute XRSTOR while the hardware registers are preserved on behalf of a different victim task (using the fpu_fpregs_owner_ctx mechanism), and, in theory, XRSTOR could fail but modify the registers. If this happens, then there is a window in which __fpu__restore_sig() could schedule out and the victim task could schedule back in without reloading its own FPU registers. This would result in part of the FPU state that __fpu__restore_sig() was attempting to load leaking into the victim task's user-visible state. Invalidate preserved FPU registers on XRSTOR failure to prevent this situation from corrupting any state. [1] Frequent readers of the errata lists might imagine "complex microarchitectural conditions".
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 5.2 and later | 5.10.46, 5.12.13, 5.13 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.2 and later Fixed in 5.10.46, 5.12.13, 5.13 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 7
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.2 to before 5.10.46; 5.11 to before 5.12.13 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.13:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.13 rc1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.13:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.13 rc2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.13:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.13 rc3 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.13:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.13 rc4 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.13:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.13 rc5 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.13:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.13 rc6 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.2 to before 5.10.46; 5.11 to before 5.12.13 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.13:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.13 rc1 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.13:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.13 rc2 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.13:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.13 rc3 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.13:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.13 rc4 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.13:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.13 rc5 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.13:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.13 rc6 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.46, 5.12.13, 5.13
Red Hat 1 advisory
- RHSA-2021:4356 Released 2021-11-09 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 8) kernel-tools-libs-devel-4.18.0-348.el8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) bpftool-4.18.0-348.el8, kernel-4.18.0-348.el8, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-348.el8 +19
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2021:4356 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2021:4356 |
Not affected: 2 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2021-47226
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-4jxh-jrgp-4422
References
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2021-47226 · CVE Program
- CVE-2021-47226 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-4jxh-jrgp-4422 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2021-47226 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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