net/tls: Fix flipped sign in tls_err_abort() calls
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 1 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-787 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/tls: Fix flipped sign in tls_err_abort() calls sk->sk_err appears to expect a positive value, a convention that ktls doesn't always follow and that leads to memory corruption in other code. For instance, [kworker] tls_encrypt_done(..., err=<negative error from crypto request>) tls_err_abort(.., err) sk->sk_err = err; [task] splice_from_pipe_feed ... tls_sw_do_sendpage if (sk->sk_err) { ret = -sk->sk_err; // ret is positive splice_from_pipe_feed (continued) ret = actor(...) // ret is still positive and interpreted as bytes // written, resulting in underflow of buf->len and // sd->len, leading to huge buf->offset and bogus // addresses computed in later calls to actor() Fix all tls_err_abort() callers to pass a negative error code consistently and centralize the error-prone sign flip there, throwing in a warning to catch future misuse and uninlining the function so it really does only warn once.
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 | 4.17 and later | 5.4.157, 5.10.77, 5.14.16, 5.15 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 4.17 and later Fixed in 5.4.157, 5.10.77, 5.14.16, 5.15 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 8
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.17 to before 5.4.157; 5.5 to before 5.10.77; 5.11 to before 5.14.16 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.15:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.15 rc1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.15:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.15 rc2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.15:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.15 rc3 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.15:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.15 rc4 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.15:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.15 rc5 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.15:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.15 rc6 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.15:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.15 rc7 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.17 to before 5.4.157; 5.5 to before 5.10.77; 5.11 to before 5.14.16 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.15:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.15 rc1 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.15:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.15 rc2 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.15:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.15 rc3 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.15:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.15 rc4 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.15:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.15 rc5 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.15:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.15 rc6 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.15:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.15 rc7 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.4.157, 5.10.77, 5.14.16, 5.15
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 |
Not affected: 3 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2021-47496
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-c425-5ghg-6j48
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-2021-47496 · CVE Program
- CVE-2021-47496 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-c425-5ghg-6j48 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2021-47496 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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