ubifs: Fix deadlock in concurrent rename whiteout and inode writeback
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: 1 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-667 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ubifs: Fix deadlock in concurrent rename whiteout and inode writeback Following hung tasks: [ 77.028764] task:kworker/u8:4 state:D stack: 0 pid: 132 [ 77.028820] Call Trace: [ 77.029027] schedule+0x8c/0x1b0 [ 77.029067] mutex_lock+0x50/0x60 [ 77.029074] ubifs_write_inode+0x68/0x1f0 [ubifs] [ 77.029117] __writeback_single_inode+0x43c/0x570 [ 77.029128] writeback_sb_inodes+0x259/0x740 [ 77.029148] wb_writeback+0x107/0x4d0 [ 77.029163] wb_workfn+0x162/0x7b0 [ 92.390442] task:aa state:D stack: 0 pid: 1506 [ 92.390448] Call Trace: [ 92.390458] schedule+0x8c/0x1b0 [ 92.390461] wb_wait_for_completion+0x82/0xd0 [ 92.390469] __writeback_inodes_sb_nr+0xb2/0x110 [ 92.390472] writeback_inodes_sb_nr+0x14/0x20 [ 92.390476] ubifs_budget_space+0x705/0xdd0 [ubifs] [ 92.390503] do_rename.cold+0x7f/0x187 [ubifs] [ 92.390549] ubifs_rename+0x8b/0x180 [ubifs] [ 92.390571] vfs_rename+0xdb2/0x1170 [ 92.390580] do_renameat2+0x554/0x770 , are caused by concurrent rename whiteout and inode writeback processes: rename_whiteout(Thread 1) wb_workfn(Thread2) ubifs_rename do_rename lock_4_inodes (Hold ui_mutex) ubifs_budget_space make_free_space shrink_liability __writeback_inodes_sb_nr bdi_split_work_to_wbs (Queue new wb work) wb_do_writeback(wb work) __writeback_single_inode ubifs_write_inode LOCK(ui_mutex) ↑ wb_wait_for_completion (Wait wb work) <-- deadlock! Reproducer (Detail program in [Link]): 1. SYS_renameat2("/mp/dir/file", "/mp/dir/whiteout", RENAME_WHITEOUT) 2. Consume out of space before kernel(mdelay) doing budget for whiteout Fix it by doing whiteout space budget before locking ubifs inodes. BTW, it also fixes wrong goto tag 'out_release' in whiteout budget error handling path(It should at least recover dir i_size and unlock 4 ubifs inodes).
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 | 4.9 and later | 4.19.238, 5.4.189, 5.10.110, 5.15.33, 5.16.19, 5.17.2, 5.18 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 4.9 and later Fixed in 4.19.238, 5.4.189, 5.10.110, 5.15.33, 5.16.19, 5.17.2, 5.18 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.9 to before 4.19.238; 4.20 to before 5.4.189; 5.5 to before 5.10.110; 5.11 to before 5.15.33; 5.16 to before 5.16.19; 5.17 to before 5.17.2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.9 to before 4.19.238; 4.20 to before 5.4.189; 5.5 to before 5.10.110; 5.11 to before 5.15.33; 5.16 to before 5.16.19; 5.17 to before 5.17.2 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 4.19.238, 5.4.189, 5.10.110, 5.15.33, 5.16.19, 5.17.2, 5.18
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 |
Not affected: 4 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2021-47637
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-cgfp-5vmp-v4j6
References
Patch 7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9dddc8211430fb851ddf0b168e3a00c6f66cc185
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/37bdf1ad592555ecda1d55b89f6e393e4c0589d1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/83e42a78428fc354f5e2049935b84c8d8d29b787
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c58af8564a7b08757173009030b74baf4b2b762b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/70e9090acc32348cedc5def0cd6d5c126efc97b9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8b278c8dcfb565cb65eceb62a38cbf7a7c326db5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/afd427048047e8efdedab30e8888044e2be5aa9c
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Sources
- CVE-2021-47637 · CVE Program
- CVE-2021-47637 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-cgfp-5vmp-v4j6 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2021-47637 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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