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CVE Record

CVE-2021-46912: net: Make tcp_allowed_congestion_control readonly in non-init netns

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: Make tcp_allowed_congestion_control readonly in non-init netns Currently, tcp_allowed_congestion_control is global and writable; writing to it in any net namespace will leak into all other net namespaces. tcp_available_congestion_control and tcp_allowed_congestion_control are the only sysctls in ipv4_net_table (the per-netns sysctl table) with a NULL data pointer; their handlers (proc_tcp_available_congestion_control and proc_allowed_congestion_control) have no other way of referencing a struct net. Thus, they operate globally. Because ipv4_net_table does not use designated initializers, there is no easy way to fix up this one "bad" table entry. However, the data pointer updating logic shouldn't be applied to NULL pointers anyway, so we instead force these entries to be read-only. These sysctls used to exist in ipv4_table (init-net only), but they were moved to the per-net ipv4_net_table, presumably without realizing that tcp_allowed_congestion_control was writable and thus introduced a leak. Because the intent of that commit was only to know (i.e. read) "which congestion algorithms are available or allowed", this read-only solution should be sufficient. The logic added in recent commit 31c4d2f160eb: ("net: Ensure net namespace isolation of sysctls") does not and cannot check for NULL data pointers, because other table entries (e.g. /proc/sys/net/netfilter/nf_log/) have .data=NULL but use other methods (.extra2) to access the struct net.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This Linux kernel issue let a setting changed inside one network namespace affect all other namespaces. In containerized environments, that weakens isolation: one tenant or workload could alter permitted TCP congestion-control settings beyond its namespace. The source does not provide CVSS, impact detail, or evidence of active exploitation.

Executive priority

Treat as a targeted isolation-hardening issue, not an internet-facing emergency based on current evidence. Prioritize patching shared container infrastructure, multi-tenant Linux hosts, and systems allowing untrusted namespace creation.

Technical view

The per-network-namespace IPv4 sysctl table exposed tcp_allowed_congestion_control as writable despite its handler operating on global state because the table entry had a NULL data pointer. The kernel fix makes tcp_allowed_congestion_control read-only outside the initial network namespace, preventing cross-namespace leakage of writes.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most relevant to Linux systems using network namespaces, especially container hosts or multi-tenant environments. The source identifies Linux kernel lines including 5.7-era affected code and fixes around 5.10.32, 5.11.16, and 5.12, but distribution backports may change exact package status.

Exploitation context

The provided sources do not show public exploitation, weaponized details, or CISA KEV listing. Practical abuse would require an actor with access to write the relevant sysctl inside a non-init network namespace, so risk depends on local/container access controls.

Researcher notes

The issue is a global sysctl state leak caused by per-netns table placement without per-netns backing data. The fix is intentionally narrow: make the problematic sysctl read-only in non-init netns rather than redesign handler state access. Impact evidence is limited in the provided record.

Mitigation direction

  • Apply vendor kernel updates containing the referenced stable fixes.
  • Check distribution advisories for backported kernel package status.
  • Restrict untrusted users or workloads from creating writable network namespaces until patched.
  • Review container host hardening around sysctl write access.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux kernel versions on container hosts and namespace-heavy systems.
  • Confirm vendor packages include the stable fix for this CVE.
  • Verify non-init network namespaces cannot write tcp_allowed_congestion_control after patching.
  • Review container policies for unnecessary sysctl write permissions.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
5

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

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CVE-2021-46912 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
2ADP providers
4Source links

SSVC decision data

CISA-ADPCISA Coordinator
Timestamp
Version
2.0.3
Exploitation: noneAutomatable: noTechnical Impact: partial

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

ADP provider summaries

CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
other:ssvc
CVECVE Program Container
Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux9cb8e048e5d93825ec5e8dfb5b8df4987ea25745, 9cb8e048e5d93825ec5e8dfb5b8df4987ea25745, 9cb8e048e5d93825ec5e8dfb5b8df4987ea25745unaffected
LinuxLinux5.7, 0, 5.10.32, 5.11.16, 5.12affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.