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CVE Record

CVE-2021-47373: irqchip/gic-v3-its: Fix potential VPE leak on error

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: irqchip/gic-v3-its: Fix potential VPE leak on error In its_vpe_irq_domain_alloc, when its_vpe_init() returns an error, there is an off-by-one in the number of VPEs to be freed. Fix it by simply passing the number of VPEs allocated, which is the index of the loop iterating over the VPEs. [maz: fixed commit message]

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysisunknown

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This Linux kernel issue is a cleanup bug: an error path may fail to free all allocated VPE resources. The public record does not provide CVSS, confirmed impact, or exploitation evidence, so urgency depends on whether affected kernels run in relevant ARM interrupt-controller environments.

Executive priority

Handle through normal kernel maintenance unless affected ARM infrastructure supports critical services. The public evidence does not justify emergency response, but unpatched kernel resource-management bugs should not remain indefinitely in production baselines.

Technical view

The bug is in irqchip/gic-v3-its, specifically its_vpe_irq_domain_alloc. If its_vpe_init() fails, an off-by-one count can leave a VPE allocation unreleased. Stable kernel commits correct the free count by passing the number of VPEs actually allocated.

Likely exposure

Exposure appears limited to Linux systems running affected kernel versions that exercise the GICv3 ITS VPE allocation path. The source bundle lists Linux 4.14 through 5.15-era affected versions, but does not identify distributions, configurations, or deployed hardware scope.

Exploitation context

No active exploitation is stated. The CVE is not marked KEV, and the provided sources describe a resource-leak fix rather than a demonstrated exploit path. Evidence is insufficient to claim remote exploitation, privilege escalation, or denial-of-service behavior.

Researcher notes

Key uncertainty is operational impact. The record confirms the faulty error cleanup and fix direction, but omits CVSS, CWE, exploitability, and configuration prerequisites. Validation should focus on kernel lineage, vendor backports, and whether the relevant irqchip/gic-v3-its code is present and reachable.

Mitigation direction

  • Update affected Linux kernels to vendor builds containing the referenced stable fixes.
  • Check distribution advisories for backported fixes before relying on version numbers alone.
  • Prioritize critical ARM systems using GICv3 ITS functionality.
  • Track remediation through standard kernel patch management workflows.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux kernel versions across affected server, embedded, and appliance fleets.
  • Confirm vendor kernel changelogs include one of the referenced stable commits.
  • Verify whether systems use ARM GICv3 ITS-related kernel paths.
  • Document exceptions where vendor guidance says the system is unaffected.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
8

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

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ATT&CK lookup starting points

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CVE-2021-47373 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
7Source 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

CVECVE Program Container
CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
other:ssvc

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux7d75bbb4bc1ad90386776459d37e4ddfe605671e, 7d75bbb4bc1ad90386776459d37e4ddfe605671e, 7d75bbb4bc1ad90386776459d37e4ddfe605671e, 7d75bbb4bc1ad90386776459d37e4ddfe605671e, 7d75bbb4bc1ad90386776459d37e4ddfe605671e, 7d75bbb4bc1ad90386776459d37e4ddfe605671eunaffected
LinuxLinux4.14, 0, 4.14.249, 4.19.209, 5.4.150, 5.10.70, 5.14.9, 5.15affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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