Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-47161 is a Linux kernel availability issue in the spi-fsl-dspi driver. A failed device probe can leak DMA-related resources because cleanup is missing on one error path. The CVSS score is 5.5: local, low-complexity, low-privilege, no user interaction, with availability impact only.
Executive priority
Schedule remediation through normal kernel patch cycles, faster for embedded or operational systems where SPI driver failure could affect uptime. No source provided evidence of remote exploitation or data theft.
Technical view
The kernel fix adds the missing release path: dspi_request_dma() must be paired with dspi_release_dma() when probe error handling unwinds. Sources describe a resource leak in spi-fsl-dspi, already handled correctly in remove(). CVSS indicates no confidentiality or integrity impact, but high availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on Linux systems running affected kernel versions and using the spi-fsl-dspi driver. General-purpose systems that do not load this driver may have no practical exposure, but the provided sources do not enumerate distributions or hardware deployments.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show active exploitation, and KEV is false. CVSS requires local access with low privileges and no user interaction. Treat this as an availability risk, not a remote compromise signal.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record and Linux stable commits. The source CWE value appears less descriptive than the text; the described issue is a resource leak in probe error handling. Validate impact in downstream vendor kernels before broad conclusions.
Mitigation direction
- Apply kernel or distribution updates containing the referenced stable fixes.
- Confirm vendor advisories before changing unsupported or vendor-custom kernels.
- Prioritize systems that load or depend on the spi-fsl-dspi driver.
- Use normal kernel rollback and maintenance-window controls for production updates.
Validation and detection
- Inventory kernel versions against the CVE affected records.
- Check kernel changelogs for CVE-2021-47161 or referenced commit IDs.
- Verify whether spi-fsl-dspi is present or loaded on target systems.
- Confirm patched systems include the DMA release error-path fix.
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
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
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-209: Information exposure and cloud metadata lookup
Information exposure and SSRF weaknesses can make discovery, cloud metadata, and credential material review relevant. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-47161 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H1.83.6CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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/10a089bae827ec30ad9b6cb7048020a62fae0cfaCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/00450ed03a17143e2433b461a656ef9cd17c2f1dCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/15d1cc4b4b585f9a2ce72c52cca004d5d735bdf1CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fe6921e3b8451a537e01c031b8212366bb386e3eCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/12391be4724acc9269e1845ccbd881df37de4b56CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/680ec0549a055eb464dce6ffb4bfb736ef87236eCVE 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.
Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information
Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.