CVE-2021-47617: PCI: pciehp: Fix infinite loop in IRQ handler upon power fault
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
PCI: pciehp: Fix infinite loop in IRQ handler upon power fault
The Power Fault Detected bit in the Slot Status register differs from
all other hotplug events in that it is sticky: It can only be cleared
after turning off slot power. Per PCIe r5.0, sec. 6.7.1.8:
If a power controller detects a main power fault on the hot-plug slot,
it must automatically set its internal main power fault latch [...].
The main power fault latch is cleared when software turns off power to
the hot-plug slot.
The stickiness used to cause interrupt storms and infinite loops which
were fixed in 2009 by commits 5651c48cfafe ("PCI pciehp: fix power fault
interrupt storm problem") and 99f0169c17f3 ("PCI: pciehp: enable
software notification on empty slots").
Unfortunately in 2020 the infinite loop issue was inadvertently
reintroduced by commit 8edf5332c393 ("PCI: pciehp: Fix MSI interrupt
race"): The hardirq handler pciehp_isr() clears the PFD bit until
pciehp's power_fault_detected flag is set. That happens in the IRQ
thread pciehp_ist(), which never learns of the event because the hardirq
handler is stuck in an infinite loop. Fix by setting the
power_fault_detected flag already in the hardirq handler.
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This Linux kernel flaw can make a system spin inside an interrupt handler after a PCIe hot-plug slot reports a power fault. The business impact is availability: affected systems with PCIe hotplug hardware may become unstable or unresponsive under that fault condition.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted availability issue, not evidence of broad remote compromise. Patch during the next normal kernel maintenance cycle, sooner for hardware platforms relying on PCIe hotplug or with prior slot power-fault events.
Technical view
The pciehp driver mishandled the sticky Power Fault Detected bit. A 2020 MSI race fix reintroduced an infinite hardirq loop because the threaded handler never set power_fault_detected. The resolved fix sets that flag in the hardirq handler.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to Linux systems using affected kernel builds with PCIe hotplug support and hardware slots capable of reporting power faults. The supplied data names Linux kernel versions and stable commits but does not provide distribution package mappings.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not show KEV listing, active exploitation, public exploit use, or remote attack evidence. The apparent trigger is a PCIe slot power-fault event, making this primarily an availability risk in relevant hardware environments.
Researcher notes
Evidence is strongest for root cause and upstream fix commits. Severity scoring, CWE mapping, exploitability details, and downstream distro package status are not provided in the bundle, so validation should focus on kernel lineage and pciehp exposure.
Mitigation direction
Update to a vendor kernel containing the referenced stable fixes.
Check Linux distribution advisories for exact fixed package versions.
Prioritize systems with PCIe hotplug slots or pciehp enabled.
Apply normal kernel reboot procedures after patching.
Validation and detection
Inventory running kernel versions across Linux hosts.
Check whether pciehp is enabled or loaded on exposed systems.
Map vendor kernels to the referenced upstream stable fixes.
Review system logs for PCIe hotplug power fault events.
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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CVE-2021-47617 mapping review
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