Kernel memory corruption via unset RDMA queue pointers
Published Apr 10, 2024 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Use-after-free in Linux kernel 5.15 allows local users to corrupt kernel memory by triggering an mlx5 queue-pair creation failure. RDMA core passes the new queue-pair object to the driver before setting its send and receive completion-queue pointers, so failure cleanup later writes through the freed object. Exploitation requires local access to the RDMA userspace verbs interface on an mlx5-capable system; the demonstrated result is a KASAN-detected write after free.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in Linux kernel 5.15 allows local users to corrupt kernel memory by triggering an mlx5 queue-pair creation failure. RDMA core passes the new queue-pair object to the driver before setting its send and receive completion-queue pointers, so failure cleanup later writes through the freed object. Exploitation requires local access to the RDMA userspace verbs interface on an mlx5-capable system; the demonstrated result is a KASAN-detected write after free.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-47196
- Published
- Apr 10, 2024
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-416, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Apr 10, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 5, 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?
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- Affected versionversion=514aee660df493cd673154a6ba6bab745ec47b8c <6cd7397d01c4a3e09757840299e4f114f0aa5fa0
- Affected versionversion=514aee660df493cd673154a6ba6bab745ec47b8c <b70e072feffa0ba5c41a99b9524b9878dee7748e
- Affected versionversion=5.15
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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