Resource exhaustion in Linux
CVE-2021-28715
Guest can force Linux netback driver to hog large amounts of kernel memory T[his CNA information record relates to multiple CVEs; the text explains which aspects/vulnerabilities correspond to which CVE.] Incoming data packets for a guest in the Linux kernel's netback driver are buffered until the guest is ready to process them. There are some measures taken for avoiding to pile up too much data, but those can be bypassed by the guest: There is a timeout how long the client side of an interface can stop consuming new packets before it is assumed to have stalled, but this timeout is rather long (60 seconds by default). Using a UDP connection on a fast interface can easily accumulate gigabytes of data in that time. (CVE-2021-28715) The timeout could even never trigger if the guest manages to have only one free slot in its RX queue ring page and the next package would require more than one free slot, which may be the case when using GSO, XDP, or software hashing. (CVE-2021-28714)
EPSS: 0.003 (25.7th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 6.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H.
Affected products
- Linux — versions consult Xen advisory XSA-392
- Linux Linux_kernel
- Debian Debian_linux — versions 9.0, 10.0, 11.0
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- security@xen.org (x_refsource_MISC, Vendor Advisory)
- security@xen.org (vendor-advisory, Third Party Advisory, x_refsource_DEBIAN)
- security@xen.org (mailing-list, x_refsource_MLIST, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
- security@xen.org (mailing-list, x_refsource_MLIST, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
- security@xen.org (vendor-advisory, Third Party Advisory, x_refsource_DEBIAN)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2021-28715?
- CVE-2021-28715 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling. CVSS score: 6.5/10. Published 2022-01-06.
- How severe is CVE-2021-28715?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.5 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2021-28715 known to be exploited?
- 1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.