Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a Linux kernel crash issue in the Marvell Prestera network driver during port initialization. A port-down event arriving while ports are being created can trigger a kernel oops, causing high availability impact on affected systems. Exposure appears narrow: systems must use the affected kernel driver path.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority for affected network platforms because the main business risk is device instability or outage. For environments without Marvell Prestera hardware or drivers, urgency is much lower after inventory confirms non-exposure.
Technical view
CVE-2021-47023 affects Linux kernels with the Marvell Prestera driver. The bug is in port event handling during initialization: firmware may send an initial down-state event, leading to cancel_delayed_work() on an unsafe state and a kernel crash. Upstream stable commits adjust cancellation logic based on previous port state.
Likely exposure
Likely limited to Linux systems, network appliances, or embedded platforms using Marvell Prestera switching hardware and affected kernel versions or unbackported vendor kernels. Ordinary Linux hosts without the Prestera driver or hardware are unlikely to be exposed.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or public active exploitation. The provided evidence describes a crash that can be triggered during port creation when firmware port events are handled concurrently. No remote exploit procedure is provided in the sources.
Researcher notes
The root cause was not fully identified in the description; the fix narrows cancellation behavior to prior up-and-running port state. Validate exposure through driver and hardware presence, not CVSS alone. Avoid assuming broader Linux network-stack exposure without supporting evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Update to a kernel or vendor package containing the cited stable fixes.
- Check distribution or appliance vendor advisories for backported fixes.
- Prioritize affected switching appliances and embedded Linux platforms.
- If unused, confirm the Prestera driver is not loaded pending vendor guidance.
Validation and detection
- Inventory systems for Marvell Prestera hardware or loaded Prestera drivers.
- Map running kernel versions to vendor fixed or affected status.
- Review kernel logs for Prestera port initialization crashes.
- Confirm patched kernels include one of the cited stable commits or a backport.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
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ATT&CK lookup starting points
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CWE-400: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-47023 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.2 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H
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.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H3.94.2CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.2HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0ce6052802be2cb61a57b753e41301339c88c839CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b5bba6ede42693f50ce1c9944315cefed7491061CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9d1ba11fabdd8f25abb24272ef1621417981320bCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/333980481b99edb24ebd5d1a53af70a15d9146deCVE reference, Linux
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Uncontrolled Resource Consumption represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.