Kernel memory exhaustion via leaked SDMA packets
Published Mar 4, 2024 · Updated May 23, 2026
Memory leak in the Linux kernel's qib InfiniBand driver allows local users to exhaust kernel memory through failed SDMA packet queuing. The qib_user_sdma_queue_pkts() error path jumps to a label that bypasses cleanup of its allocated packet structure. Access to a qib InfiniBand device and a packet-queueing error are required; repeated failures consume memory and can interrupt service.
Summary
What happened
Memory leak in the Linux kernel's qib InfiniBand driver allows local users to exhaust kernel memory through failed SDMA packet queuing. The qib_user_sdma_queue_pkts() error path jumps to a label that bypasses cleanup of its allocated packet structure. Access to a qib InfiniBand device and a packet-queueing error are required; repeated failures consume memory and can interrupt service.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-47104
- Published
- Mar 4, 2024
- Updated
- May 23, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-401, T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 4, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 23, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0d4395477741608d123dad51def9fe50b7ebe952
- Affected versionversion=0f8cdfff06829a0b0348b6debc29ff6a61967724 <79dcbd8176152b860028b62f81a635d987365752
- Affected versionversion=3f57c3f67fd93b4da86aeffea1ca32c484d054ad <76b648063eb36c72dfc0a6896de8a0a7d2c7841c
- Affected versionversion=4.14.255 <4.14.260
- Affected versionversion=4.19.216 <4.19.223
- Affected versionversion=4.4.292 <4.4.297
- Affected versionversion=4.9.290 <4.9.295
- Affected versionversion=5.10.77 <5.10.89
- Affected versionversion=5.14.16 <5.15
- Affected versionversion=5.15
- Affected versionversion=5.4.157 <5.4.169
- Affected versionversion=60833707b968d5ae02a75edb7886dcd4a957cf0d <d53456492b5d02033c73dfa0f3b94c86337791ba
- Affected versionversion=73d2892148aa4397a885b4f4afcfc5b27a325c42 <0aaec9c5f60754b56f84460ea439b8c5e91f4caa
- Affected versionversion=bda41654b6e0c125a624ca35d6d20beb8015b5d0 <1ced0a3015a95c6a6db45e37250912c4c86697ab
- Affected versionversion=c3e17e58f571f34c51aeb17274ed02c2ed5cf780 <7cf6466e00a77b0a914b7b2c28a1fc7947d55e59
- Affected versionversion=d39bf40e55e666b5905fdbd46a0dced030ce87be <aefcc25f3a0cd28a87d11d41d30419a12cd26a34
- Affected versionversion=d39bf40e55e666b5905fdbd46a0dced030ce87be <bee90911e0138c76ee67458ac0d58b38a3190f65
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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