CVE-2021-46933: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-w6v7-mjp2-pwcf
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CVSS 5.5
CWE-476 CWE-416
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-46933 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.5) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is null.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2021-46933 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-46933
GHSA Identifier GHSA-w6v7-mjp2-pwcf
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.5
CWE Classification CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2021-46933

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-46933, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference, where the product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is null. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: usb: gadget: f_fs: Clear ffs_eventfd in ffs_data_clear. ffs_data_clear is indirectly called from both ffs_fs_kill_sb and ffs_ep0_release, so it ends up being called twice when userland closes ep0 and then unmounts f_fs. If userland provided an eventfd along with function's USB descriptors, it ends up calling eventfd_ctx_put as many times, causing a refcount underflow. NULL-ify ffs_eventfd to prevent these extraneous eventfd_ctx_put calls. Also, set epfiles to NULL right after de-allocating it, for readability. For completeness, ffs_data_clear actually ends up being called thrice, the last call being before the whole ffs structure gets freed, so when this specific sequence happens there is a second underflow happening (but not being reported): /sys/kernel/debug/tracing# modprobe usb_f_fs /sys/kernel/debug/tracing# echo ffs_data_clear > set_ftrace_filter /sys/kernel/debug/tracing# echo function > current_tracer /sys/kernel/debug/tracing# echo 1 > tracing_on (setup gadget, run and kill function userland process, teardown gadget) /sys/kernel/debug/tracing# echo 0 > tracing_on /sys/kernel/debug/tracing# cat trace smartcard-openp-436 [000] ..... 1946.208786: ffs_data_clear <-ffs_data_closed smartcard-openp-431 [000] ..... 1946.279147: ffs_data_clear <-ffs_data_closed smartcard-openp-431 [000] .n... 1946.905512: ffs_data_clear <-ffs_data_put Warning output corresponding to above trace: [ 1946.284139] WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 431 at lib/refcount.c:28 refcount_warn_saturate+0x110/0x15c [ 1946.293094] refcount_t: underflow; use-after-free. [ 1946.298164] Modules linked in: usb_f_ncm(E) u_ether(E) usb_f_fs(E) hci_uart(E) btqca(E) btrtl(E) btbcm(E) btintel(E) bluetooth(E) nls_ascii(E) nls_cp437(E) vfat(E) fat(E) bcm2835_v4l2(CE) bcm2835_mmal_vchiq(CE) videobuf2_vmalloc(E) videobuf2_memops(E) sha512_generic(E) videobuf2_v4l2(E) sha512_arm(E) videobuf2_common(E) videodev(E) cpufreq_dt(E) snd_bcm2835(CE) brcmfmac(E) mc(E) vc4(E) ctr(E) brcmutil(E) snd_soc_core(E) snd_pcm_dmaengine(E) drbg(E) snd_pcm(E) snd_timer(E) snd(E) soundcore(E) drm_kms_helper(E) cec(E) ansi_cprng(E) rc_core(E) syscopyarea(E) raspberrypi_cpufreq(E) sysfillrect(E) sysimgblt(E) cfg80211(E) max17040_battery(OE) raspberrypi_hwmon(E) fb_sys_fops(E) regmap_i2c(E) ecdh_generic(E) rfkill(E) ecc(E) bcm2835_rng(E) rng_core(E) vchiq(CE) leds_gpio(E) libcomposite(E) fuse(E) configfs(E) ip_tables(E) x_tables(E) autofs4(E) ext4(E) crc16(E) mbcache(E) jbd2(E) crc32c_generic(E) sdhci_iproc(E) sdhci_pltfm(E) sdhci(E) [ 1946.399633] CPU: 0 PID: 431 Comm: smartcard-openp Tainted: G C OE 5.15.0-1-rpi #1 Debian 5.15.3-1 [ 1946.417950] Hardware name: BCM2835 [ 1946.425442] Backtrace: [ 1946.432048] [<c08d60a0>] (dump_backtrace) from [<c08d62ec>] (show_stack+0x20/0x24) [ 1946.448226] r7:00000009 r6:0000001c r5:c04a948c r4:c0a64e2c [ 1946.458412] [<c08d62cc>] (show_stack) from [<c08d9ae0>] (dump_stack+0x28/0x30) [ 1946.470380] [<c08d9ab8>] (dump_stack) from [<c0123500>] (__warn+0xe8/0x154) [ 1946.482067] r5:c04a948c r4:c0a71dc8 [ 1946.490184] [<c0123418>] (__warn) from [<c08d6948>] (warn_slowpath_fmt+0xa0/0xe4) [ 1946.506758] r7:00000009 r6:0000001c r5:c0a71dc8 r4:c0a71e04 [ 1946.517070] [<c08d68ac>] (warn_slowpath_fmt) from [<c04a948c>] (refcount_warn_saturate+0x110/0x15c) [ 1946.535309] r8:c0100224 r7:c0dfcb84 r6:ffffffff r5:c3b84c00 r4:c24a17c0 [ 1946.546708] [<c04a937c>] (refcount_warn_saturate) from [<c0380134>] (eventfd_ctx_put+0x48/0x74) [ 1946.564476] [<c03800ec>] (eventfd_ctx_put) from [<bf5464e8>] (ffs_data_clear+0xd0/0x118 [usb_f_fs]) [ 1946.582664] r5:c3b84c00 r4:c2695b00 [ 1946.590668] [<bf546418>] (ffs_data_clear [usb_f_fs]) from [<bf547cc0>] (ffs_data_closed+0x9c/0x150 [usb_f_fs]) [ 1946.609608] r5:bf54d014 r4:c2695b00 [ 1946.617522] [<bf547c24>] (ffs_data_closed [usb_f_fs]) from [<bf547da0>] (ffs_fs_kill_sb+0x2c/0x30 [usb_f_fs]) [ 1946.636217] r7:c0dfcb ---truncated---

References

NVD — CVE-2021-46933 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-46933
git.kernel.org/stable/c/1c4ace3e6b... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1c4ace3e6b8575745c50dca9e76e0021e697d645
git.kernel.org/stable/c/240fc586e8... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/240fc586e83d645912accce081a48aa63a45f6ee
git.kernel.org/stable/c/33f6a0cbb7... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/33f6a0cbb7772146e1c11f38028fffbfed14728b
git.kernel.org/stable/c/52500239e3... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/52500239e3f2d6fc77b6f58632a9fb98fe74ac09
git.kernel.org/stable/c/b1e0887379... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b1e0887379422975f237d43d8839b751a6bcf154
git.kernel.org/stable/c/cc8c8028c2... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cc8c8028c21b2a3842a1e98e99e55028df275919
git.kernel.org/stable/c/ebef2aa29f... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ebef2aa29f370b5096c16020c104e393192ef684
git.kernel.org/stable/c/f976dd7011... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f976dd7011150244a7ba820f2c331e9fb253befa

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-46933?
CVE-2021-46933 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2021-46933?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-46933?
CVE-2021-46933 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-46933?
CVE-2021-46933 is classified under CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference (The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-46933?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-w6v7-mjp2-pwcf",
  "modified" : "2024-04-10T21:30:28Z",
  "published" : "2024-02-27T12:31:10Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-46933" ],
  "details" : "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nusb: gadget: f_fs: Clear ffs_eventfd in ffs_data_clear.\n\nffs_data_clear is indirectly called from both ffs_fs_kill_sb and\nffs_ep0_release, so it ends up being called twice when userland closes ep0\nand then unmounts f_fs.\nIf userland provided an eventfd along with function's USB descriptors, it\nends up calling eventfd_ctx_put as many times, causing a refcount\nunderflow.\nNULL-ify ffs_eventfd to prevent these extraneous eventfd_ctx_put calls.\n\nAlso, set epfiles to NULL right after de-allocating it, for readability.\n\nFor completeness, ffs_data_clear actually ends up being called thrice, the\nlast call being before the whole ffs structure gets freed, so when this\nspecific sequence happens there is a second underflow happening (but not\nbeing reported):\n\n/sys/kernel/debug/tracing# modprobe usb_f_fs\n/sys/kernel/debug/tracing# echo ffs_data_clear > set_ftrace_filter\n/sys/kernel/debug/tracing# echo function > current_tracer\n/sys/kernel/debug/tracing# echo 1 > tracing_on\n(setup gadget, run and kill function userland process, teardown gadget)\n/sys/kernel/debug/tracing# echo 0 > tracing_on\n/sys/kernel/debug/tracing# cat trace\n smartcard-openp-436     [000] .....  1946.208786: ffs_data_clear <-ffs_data_closed\n smartcard-openp-431     [000] .....  1946.279147: ffs_data_clear <-ffs_data_closed\n smartcard-openp-431     [000] .n...  1946.905512: ffs_data_clear <-ffs_data_put\n\nWarning output corresponding to above trace:\n[ 1946.284139] WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 431 at lib/refcount.c:28 refcount_warn_saturate+0x110/0x15c\n[ 1946.293094] refcount_t: underflow; use-after-free.\n[ 1946.298164] Modules linked in: usb_f_ncm(E) u_ether(E) usb_f_fs(E) hci_uart(E) btqca(E) btrtl(E) btbcm(E) btintel(E) bluetooth(E) nls_ascii(E) nls_cp437(E) vfat(E) fat(E) bcm2835_v4l2(CE) bcm2835_mmal_vchiq(CE) videobuf2_vmalloc(E) videobuf2_memops(E) sha512_generic(E) videobuf2_v4l2(E) sha512_arm(E) videobuf2_common(E) videodev(E) cpufreq_dt(E) snd_bcm2835(CE) brcmfmac(E) mc(E) vc4(E) ctr(E) brcmutil(E) snd_soc_core(E) snd_pcm_dmaengine(E) drbg(E) snd_pcm(E) snd_timer(E) snd(E) soundcore(E) drm_kms_helper(E) cec(E) ansi_cprng(E) rc_core(E) syscopyarea(E) raspberrypi_cpufreq(E) sysfillrect(E) sysimgblt(E) cfg80211(E) max17040_battery(OE) raspberrypi_hwmon(E) fb_sys_fops(E) regmap_i2c(E) ecdh_generic(E) rfkill(E) ecc(E) bcm2835_rng(E) rng_core(E) vchiq(CE) leds_gpio(E) libcomposite(E) fuse(E) configfs(E) ip_tables(E) x_tables(E) autofs4(E) ext4(E) crc16(E) mbcache(E) jbd2(E) crc32c_generic(E) sdhci_iproc(E) sdhci_pltfm(E) sdhci(E)\n[ 1946.399633] CPU: 0 PID: 431 Comm: smartcard-openp Tainted: G         C OE     5.15.0-1-rpi #1  Debian 5.15.3-1\n[ 1946.417950] Hardware name: BCM2835\n[ 1946.425442] Backtrace:\n[ 1946.432048] [<c08d60a0>] (dump_backtrace) from [<c08d62ec>] (show_stack+0x20/0x24)\n[ 1946.448226]  r7:00000009 r6:0000001c r5:c04a948c r4:c0a64e2c\n[ 1946.458412] [<c08d62cc>] (show_stack) from [<c08d9ae0>] (dump_stack+0x28/0x30)\n[ 1946.470380] [<c08d9ab8>] (dump_stack) from [<c0123500>] (__warn+0xe8/0x154)\n[ 1946.482067]  r5:c04a948c r4:c0a71dc8\n[ 1946.490184] [<c0123418>] (__warn) from [<c08d6948>] (warn_slowpath_fmt+0xa0/0xe4)\n[ 1946.506758]  r7:00000009 r6:0000001c r5:c0a71dc8 r4:c0a71e04\n[ 1946.517070] [<c08d68ac>] (warn_slowpath_fmt) from [<c04a948c>] (refcount_warn_saturate+0x110/0x15c)\n[ 1946.535309]  r8:c0100224 r7:c0dfcb84 r6:ffffffff r5:c3b84c00 r4:c24a17c0\n[ 1946.546708] [<c04a937c>] (refcount_warn_saturate) from [<c0380134>] (eventfd_ctx_put+0x48/0x74)\n[ 1946.564476] [<c03800ec>] (eventfd_ctx_put) from [<bf5464e8>] (ffs_data_clear+0xd0/0x118 [usb_f_fs])\n[ 1946.582664]  r5:c3b84c00 r4:c2695b00\n[ 1946.590668] [<bf546418>] (ffs_data_clear [usb_f_fs]) from [<bf547cc0>] (ffs_data_closed+0x9c/0x150 [usb_f_fs])\n[ 1946.609608]  r5:bf54d014 r4:c2695b00\n[ 1946.617522] [<bf547c24>] (ffs_data_closed [usb_f_fs]) from [<bf547da0>] (ffs_fs_kill_sb+0x2c/0x30 [usb_f_fs])\n[ 1946.636217]  r7:c0dfcb\n---truncated---",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-46933"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1c4ace3e6b8575745c50dca9e76e0021e697d645"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/240fc586e83d645912accce081a48aa63a45f6ee"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/33f6a0cbb7772146e1c11f38028fffbfed14728b"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/52500239e3f2d6fc77b6f58632a9fb98fe74ac09"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b1e0887379422975f237d43d8839b751a6bcf154"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cc8c8028c21b2a3842a1e98e99e55028df275919"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ebef2aa29f370b5096c16020c104e393192ef684"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f976dd7011150244a7ba820f2c331e9fb253befa"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-416", "CWE-476" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2024-02-27T10:15:07Z"
  }
}