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CVE Record

CVE-2021-47052: crypto: sa2ul - Fix memory leak of rxd

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: sa2ul - Fix memory leak of rxd There are two error return paths that are not freeing rxd and causing memory leaks. Fix these. Addresses-Coverity: ("Resource leak")

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysisunknown

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2021-47052 is a Linux kernel memory leak in the sa2ul crypto driver. The public record says two error paths failed to free a receive descriptor, causing leaked memory. Business urgency is unclear because no CVSS score, CWE, or exploitation evidence is provided.

Executive priority

Treat this as a routine kernel maintenance issue unless asset review shows exposed sa2ul usage on critical systems. Lack of severity data and exploitation evidence lowers urgency, but kernel memory leaks can still affect stability in long-running systems.

Technical view

The resolved flaw is in Linux kernel crypto/sa2ul handling. Two error return paths did not free rxd, creating a resource leak flagged by Coverity. The source lists affected Linux kernel versions including 5.10, 5.10.37, 5.11.21, 5.12.4, and 5.13, with fixes in referenced stable commits.

Likely exposure

Exposure appears limited to Linux systems running affected kernel builds where the sa2ul crypto driver is present and reachable. Distribution kernels may include backported fixes, so version strings alone are insufficient. The source bundle does not identify specific vendors, appliances, or configurations beyond Linux.

Exploitation context

There is no KEV listing and the provided sources do not claim active exploitation or public exploit availability. The described impact is a memory leak on error paths, but the bundle does not state whether an unprivileged user can trigger it or cause denial of service.

Researcher notes

Evidence is sparse but specific: two sa2ul error paths leaked rxd and stable commits resolve it. The bundle provides no CVSS, CWE, trigger conditions, privilege requirements, or exploitability analysis, so exposure assessment depends on local driver usage and vendor backport status.

Mitigation direction

  • Check your Linux vendor advisory for CVE-2021-47052 coverage.
  • Update to a supported kernel build containing the referenced stable fixes.
  • Prioritize systems that use the sa2ul crypto driver.
  • Track distro backports instead of relying only on upstream version numbers.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux kernel versions across affected fleets.
  • Confirm whether the sa2ul crypto driver is built, loaded, or used.
  • Compare vendor kernel changelogs against the referenced stable commits.
  • Review monitoring for unexplained memory growth on relevant systems.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
6

Public sources used

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-2021-47052 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
5Source 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

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux00c9211f60db2dead16856f81a3e6ab86b31f275, 00c9211f60db2dead16856f81a3e6ab86b31f275, 00c9211f60db2dead16856f81a3e6ab86b31f275, 00c9211f60db2dead16856f81a3e6ab86b31f275unaffected
LinuxLinux5.10, 0, 5.10.37, 5.11.21, 5.12.4, 5.13affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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