PCI: pciehp: Fix infinite loop in IRQ handler upon power fault
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 4 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-835.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: PCI: pciehp: Fix infinite loop in IRQ handler upon power fault The Power Fault Detected bit in the Slot Status register differs from all other hotplug events in that it is sticky: It can only be cleared after turning off slot power. Per PCIe r5.0, sec. 6.7.1.8: If a power controller detects a main power fault on the hot-plug slot, it must automatically set its internal main power fault latch [...]. The main power fault latch is cleared when software turns off power to the hot-plug slot. The stickiness used to cause interrupt storms and infinite loops which were fixed in 2009 by commits 5651c48cfafe ("PCI pciehp: fix power fault interrupt storm problem") and 99f0169c17f3 ("PCI: pciehp: enable software notification on empty slots"). Unfortunately in 2020 the infinite loop issue was inadvertently reintroduced by commit 8edf5332c393 ("PCI: pciehp: Fix MSI interrupt race"): The hardirq handler pciehp_isr() clears the PFD bit until pciehp's power_fault_detected flag is set. That happens in the IRQ thread pciehp_ist(), which never learns of the event because the hardirq handler is stuck in an infinite loop. Fix by setting the power_fault_detected flag already in the hardirq handler.
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 | 4.19.149 to before 4.19.233; 5.4.69 to before 5.4.177 | 4.19.233, 5.4.177 | Patch available | CNA |
| Linux | Linux | 5.7 and later | 4.19.233, 5.4.177, 5.10.97, 5.15.20, 5.16.6, 5.17 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 4.19.149 to before 4.19.233; 5.4.69 to before 5.4.177 Fixed in 4.19.233, 5.4.177 Patch available CNA
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.7 and later Fixed in 4.19.233, 5.4.177, 5.10.97, 5.15.20, 5.16.6, 5.17 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.19.149 to before 4.19.233; 5.4.69 to before 5.4.177; 5.7 to before 5.10.97; 5.11 to before 5.15.20; 5.16 to before 5.16.6 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.19.149 to before 4.19.233; 5.4.69 to before 5.4.177; 5.7 to before 5.10.97; 5.11 to before 5.15.20; 5.16 to before 5.16.6 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 4.19.233, 5.4.177
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 4.19.233, 5.4.177, 5.10.97, 5.15.20, 5.16.6, 5.17
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2021-47617
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-r68c-p976-5jmg
References
Patch 6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ff27f7d0333cff89ec85c419f431aca1b38fb16a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/464da38ba827f670deac6500a1de9a4f0f44c41d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3b4c966fb156ff3e70b2526d964952ff7c1574d9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1db58c6584a72102e98af2e600ea184ddaf2b8af
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6d6f1f0dac3e3441ecdb1103d4efb11b9ed24dd5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/23584c1ed3e15a6f4bfab8dc5a88d94ab929ee12
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
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- 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-2021-47617 · CVE Program
- CVE-2021-47617 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-r68c-p976-5jmg · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2021-47617 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences