CVE-2021-47119: linux kernel — Fix

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: fix memory leak in ext4_fill_super Buffer head references must be released before calling kill_bdev(); otherwise the buffer head (and its page referenced by b_data) will not be freed by kill_bdev, and subsequently that bh will be leaked. If blocksizes differ, sb_set_blocksize() will kill current buffers and page cache by using kill_bdev(). And then super block will be reread again but using correct blocksize this time. sb_set_blocksize() didn't fully free superblock page and buffer head, and being busy, they were not freed and instead leaked. This can easily be reproduced by calling an infinite loop of: systemctl start <ext4_on_lvm>.mount, and systemctl stop <ext4_on_lvm>.mount ... since systemd creates a cgroup for each slice which it mounts, and the bh leak get amplified by a dying memory cgroup that also never gets freed, and memory consumption is much more easily noticed.

Is your site exposed to CVE-2021-47119?

Run a free security scan — no signup, results in seconds.

CVSS v3.1 Score

5.5

MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-401 CWE-401

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
linux	linux_kernel	2.6.19 — 5.10.43
linux	linux_kernel	5.11 — 5.12.10
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All

References

Advisories & Patches

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/01d349a481f0591230300a9171330136f9159bcd https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1385b23396d511d5233b8b921ac3058b3f86a5e1 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/afd09b617db3786b6ef3dc43e28fe728cfea84df https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/01d349a481f0591230300a9171330136f9159bcd https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1385b23396d511d5233b8b921ac3058b3f86a5e1 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/afd09b617db3786b6ef3dc43e28fe728cfea84df

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-47119? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: fix memory leak in ext4_fill_super Buffer head references must be released before calling kill_bdev(); otherwise the buffer head (and its page referenced by b_data) will not be freed by kill_bdev, and subsequently that bh will be leaked. If blocksizes differ, sb_set_blocksize() will kill current buffers and page cache by using kill_bdev(). And then super block will be reread again but using correct blocksize this time. sb_set_blocksize() didn't fully free superblock page and buffer head, and being busy, they were not freed and instead leaked. This can easily be reproduced by calling an infinite loop of: systemctl start <ext4_on_lvm>.mount, and systemctl stop <ext4_on_lvm>.mount ... since systemd creates a cgroup for each slice which it mounts, and the bh leak get amplified by a dying memory cgroup that also never gets freed, and memory consumption is much more easily noticed. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2021-47119? +

CVE-2021-47119 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-47119? +

CVE-2021-47119 affects products from linux, specifically: linux_kernel. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2021-47119? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

Related Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-0646

A denial-of-service security issue exists within the 1794-AENTR adapter due to improper memory handling of CIP protocol requests. This vulnerability …

CVE-2026-20746

Virtual attribute handling in Ping Identity PingDirectory in affected versions allows only authorized users to exhaust java memory heap when …

CVE-2026-53429

Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime vulnerability in leandrocp mdex and mdex_native allows an attacker who controls a rendered …

CVE-2024-25450 8.8

imlib2 v1.9.1 was discovered to mishandle memory allocation in the function init_imlib_fonts().

CVE-2025-20133 8.6

A vulnerability in the management and VPN web servers of the Remote Access SSL VPN feature of Cisco Secure Firewall …

CVE-2025-20239 8.6

A vulnerability in the Internet Key Exchange Version 2 (IKEv2) feature of Cisco IOS Software, IOS XE Software, Secure Firewall …

CVE-2021-47119