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CVE Record

CVE-2021-47603: audit: improve robustness of the audit queue handling

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: audit: improve robustness of the audit queue handling If the audit daemon were ever to get stuck in a stopped state the kernel's kauditd_thread() could get blocked attempting to send audit records to the userspace audit daemon. With the kernel thread blocked it is possible that the audit queue could grow unbounded as certain audit record generating events must be exempt from the queue limits else the system enter a deadlock state. This patch resolves this problem by lowering the kernel thread's socket sending timeout from MAX_SCHEDULE_TIMEOUT to HZ/10 and tweaks the kauditd_send_queue() function to better manage the various audit queues when connection problems occur between the kernel and the audit daemon. With this patch, the backlog may temporarily grow beyond the defined limits when the audit daemon is stopped and the system is under heavy audit pressure, but kauditd_thread() will continue to make progress and drain the queues as it would for other connection problems. For example, with the audit daemon put into a stopped state and the system configured to audit every syscall it was still possible to shutdown the system without a kernel panic, deadlock, etc.; granted, the system was slow to shutdown but that is to be expected given the extreme pressure of recording every syscall. The timeout value of HZ/10 was chosen primarily through experimentation and this developer's "gut feeling". There is likely no one perfect value, but as this scenario is limited in scope (root privileges would be needed to send SIGSTOP to the audit daemon), it is likely not worth exposing this as a tunable at present. This can always be done at a later date if it proves necessary.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This is a Linux kernel audit subsystem reliability flaw. If the userspace audit daemon becomes stopped, the kernel audit thread can block while sending audit records, allowing audit queues to grow and potentially causing severe system slowdown, deadlock, panic, or shutdown trouble under heavy audit load.

Executive priority

Treat as a reliability and audit-continuity issue, not a confirmed remote compromise risk. Prioritize patching on compliance-sensitive Linux servers, heavily audited systems, and production hosts where audit daemon failure could affect availability or forensic visibility.

Technical view

The issue is in kauditd audit queue handling. The fix lowers the audit socket send timeout and changes queue management so kauditd can continue draining queues during audit daemon connection problems. The source notes the scenario is limited because root privileges would be needed to stop the audit daemon.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to Linux systems using affected kernel versions and kernel audit/auditd. Risk is highest on hosts with heavy audit event generation or aggressive audit rules. Exact distro exposure requires checking vendor kernel packages against the referenced stable fixes.

Exploitation context

No active exploitation is cited, and KEV is false. The source describes a local operational abuse or failure condition requiring the audit daemon to be stopped, with root privileges needed for the cited SIGSTOP scenario.

Researcher notes

The public record lacks CVSS, CWE, and exploit evidence. The core condition is kauditd blocking on userspace audit delivery when auditd is stopped, with some audit events exempt from queue limits to avoid deadlock. Validate fixes through kernel package provenance, not assumptions from upstream version strings alone.

Mitigation direction

  • Update to a vendor kernel containing the referenced stable audit fixes.
  • Check Linux distribution advisories for CVE-2021-47603 package status.
  • Monitor auditd health and alert on stopped or unresponsive audit service states.
  • Review high-volume audit rules that could create extreme audit pressure.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux kernel versions across systems running auditd.
  • Confirm installed kernel changelogs include CVE-2021-47603 or referenced fixes.
  • Check whether auditd is enabled and required on exposed hosts.
  • Review monitoring for audit queue backlog, auditd failures, and kernel audit warnings.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
8

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

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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

CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
other:ssvc
CVECVE Program Container
Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux5b52330bbfe63b3305765354d6046c9f7f89c011, 5b52330bbfe63b3305765354d6046c9f7f89c011, 5b52330bbfe63b3305765354d6046c9f7f89c011, 5b52330bbfe63b3305765354d6046c9f7f89c011, 5b52330bbfe63b3305765354d6046c9f7f89c011, 5b52330bbfe63b3305765354d6046c9f7f89c011, a0c48115cd2343231585f2f5e609b2ac9aa4e0afunaffected
LinuxLinux4.11, 0, 4.14.259, 4.19.222, 5.4.168, 5.10.88, 5.15.11, 5.16affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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