LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2021-47413: usb: chipidea: ci_hdrc_imx: Also search for 'phys' phandle

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: usb: chipidea: ci_hdrc_imx: Also search for 'phys' phandle When passing 'phys' in the devicetree to describe the USB PHY phandle (which is the recommended way according to Documentation/devicetree/bindings/usb/ci-hdrc-usb2.txt) the following NULL pointer dereference is observed on i.MX7 and i.MX8MM: [ 1.489344] Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 0000000000000098 [ 1.498170] Mem abort info: [ 1.500966] ESR = 0x96000044 [ 1.504030] EC = 0x25: DABT (current EL), IL = 32 bits [ 1.509356] SET = 0, FnV = 0 [ 1.512416] EA = 0, S1PTW = 0 [ 1.515569] FSC = 0x04: level 0 translation fault [ 1.520458] Data abort info: [ 1.523349] ISV = 0, ISS = 0x00000044 [ 1.527196] CM = 0, WnR = 1 [ 1.530176] [0000000000000098] user address but active_mm is swapper [ 1.536544] Internal error: Oops: 96000044 [#1] PREEMPT SMP [ 1.542125] Modules linked in: [ 1.545190] CPU: 3 PID: 7 Comm: kworker/u8:0 Not tainted 5.14.0-dirty #3 [ 1.551901] Hardware name: Kontron i.MX8MM N801X S (DT) [ 1.557133] Workqueue: events_unbound deferred_probe_work_func [ 1.562984] pstate: 80000005 (Nzcv daif -PAN -UAO -TCO BTYPE=--) [ 1.568998] pc : imx7d_charger_detection+0x3f0/0x510 [ 1.573973] lr : imx7d_charger_detection+0x22c/0x510 This happens because the charger functions check for the phy presence inside the imx_usbmisc_data structure (data->usb_phy), but the chipidea core populates the usb_phy passed via 'phys' inside 'struct ci_hdrc' (ci->usb_phy) instead. This causes the NULL pointer dereference inside imx7d_charger_detection(). Fix it by also searching for 'phys' in case 'fsl,usbphy' is not found. Tested on a imx7s-warp board.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Discuss exposureBack to CVEs
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysisunknown

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This Linux kernel issue can crash some embedded devices during USB initialization when the device tree uses the recommended 'phys' USB PHY reference. The evidence points to an availability and reliability problem on specific i.MX platforms, not a proven remote compromise path.

Executive priority

Prioritize for embedded products where USB reliability affects boot, charging, serviceability, or customer operations. It is not currently supported as an actively exploited internet-scale vulnerability.

Technical view

The ci_hdrc_imx USB driver checked one structure for usb_phy while the ChipIdea core populated another when 'phys' was used. On i.MX7 and i.MX8MM, this can cause a NULL pointer dereference in imx7d_charger_detection(). The fix also searches 'phys' when 'fsl,usbphy' is absent.

Likely exposure

Likely limited to Linux-based embedded systems using the affected ChipIdea i.MX USB driver, especially i.MX7 or i.MX8MM boards with devicetree 'phys' USB PHY configuration. Internet-facing server exposure is not supported by the source bundle.

Exploitation context

The bundle does not show KEV listing, public exploitation, or a remote attack vector. The observed failure occurs during deferred probe or USB charger detection on affected hardware and configuration.

Researcher notes

Evidence is narrow: kernel commit text, affected version data, and no CVSS or CWE. Treat this as a driver NULL dereference tied to platform configuration unless additional vendor advisories expand scope.

Mitigation direction

  • Check whether products run affected Linux versions with ci_hdrc_imx on i.MX7 or i.MX8MM hardware.
  • Apply a vendor kernel update or backport the referenced stable kernel fix.
  • Test USB initialization and charger detection on representative boards after updating.
  • Track distro or BSP advisories if devices use vendor-maintained kernels.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory kernel versions and board support packages for the ChipIdea i.MX USB driver.
  • Inspect devicetree usage for the recommended 'phys' phandle.
  • Review boot logs for NULL pointer dereferences in imx7d_charger_detection().
  • Confirm the relevant stable commit is present in the deployed kernel tree.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
5

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

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2021-47413 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
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

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux746f316b753a83e366bfc5f936cbf0d72d1c2d1d, 746f316b753a83e366bfc5f936cbf0d72d1c2d1d, 746f316b753a83e366bfc5f936cbf0d72d1c2d1dunaffected
LinuxLinux5.8, 0, 5.10.73, 5.14.12, 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.