ubifs: rename_whiteout: Fix double free for whiteout_ui->data
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- 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-415 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ubifs: rename_whiteout: Fix double free for whiteout_ui->data 'whiteout_ui->data' will be freed twice if space budget fail for rename whiteout operation as following process: rename_whiteout dev = kmalloc whiteout_ui->data = dev kfree(whiteout_ui->data) // Free first time iput(whiteout) ubifs_free_inode kfree(ui->data) // Double free! KASAN reports: ================================================================== BUG: KASAN: double-free or invalid-free in ubifs_free_inode+0x4f/0x70 Call Trace: kfree+0x117/0x490 ubifs_free_inode+0x4f/0x70 [ubifs] i_callback+0x30/0x60 rcu_do_batch+0x366/0xac0 __do_softirq+0x133/0x57f Allocated by task 1506: kmem_cache_alloc_trace+0x3c2/0x7a0 do_rename+0x9b7/0x1150 [ubifs] ubifs_rename+0x106/0x1f0 [ubifs] do_syscall_64+0x35/0x80 Freed by task 1506: kfree+0x117/0x490 do_rename.cold+0x53/0x8a [ubifs] ubifs_rename+0x106/0x1f0 [ubifs] do_syscall_64+0x35/0x80 The buggy address belongs to the object at ffff88810238bed8 which belongs to the cache kmalloc-8 of size 8 ================================================================== Let ubifs_free_inode() free 'whiteout_ui->data'. BTW, delete unused assignment 'whiteout_ui->data_len = 0', process 'ubifs_evict_inode() -> ubifs_jnl_delete_inode() -> ubifs_jnl_write_inode()' doesn't need it (because 'inc_nlink(whiteout)' won't be excuted by 'goto out_release', and the nlink of whiteout inode is 0).
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 | 4.14.276, 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 4.14.276, 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 4.14.276; 4.15 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 4.14.276; 4.15 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 4.14.276, 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: Moderate. 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-2021-47638
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-qm9f-hj62-fcm2
References
Patch 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8b3c7be16f3f4dfd6e15ac651484e59d3fa36274
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2b3236ecf96db7af5836e1366ce39ace8ce832fa
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/14276d38c89a170363e90b6ac0a53c3cf61b87fc
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a90e2dbe66d2647ff95a0442ad2e86482d977fd8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2ad07009c459e56ebdcc089d850d664660fdb742
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b9a937f096e608b3368c1abc920d4d640ba2c94f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6d7a158a7363c1f6604aa47ae1a280a5c65123dd
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/40a8f0d5e7b3999f096570edab71c345da812e3e
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Sources
- CVE-2021-47638 · CVE Program
- CVE-2021-47638 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-qm9f-hj62-fcm2 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2021-47638 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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