Kernel warning via stale SMAP capability state
Published May 21, 2024 · Updated May 11, 2026
Improper x86 SMAP state handling in Linux before 5.15 allows local users to trigger a kernel warning through a crafted syscall. The x86 CPU setup path retains X86_FEATURE_SMAP from hardware when CONFIG_X86_SMAP is disabled, so entry code applies an AC-flag assertion for an inactive feature. Exploitation requires an SMAP-capable x86 processor and an affected build configuration; the reported consequence is a warning and diagnostic trace, not data access or code execution.
Summary
What happened
Improper x86 SMAP state handling in Linux before 5.15 allows local users to trigger a kernel warning through a crafted syscall. The x86 CPU setup path retains X86_FEATURE_SMAP from hardware when CONFIG_X86_SMAP is disabled, so entry code applies an AC-flag assertion for an inactive feature. Exploitation requires an SMAP-capable x86 processor and an affected build configuration; the reported consequence is a warning and diagnostic trace, not data access or code execution.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-47430
- Published
- May 21, 2024
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 21, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 11, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=3c73b81a9164d0c1b6379d6672d2772a9e95168e <3958b9c34c2729597e182cc606cc43942fd19f7c
- Affected versionversion=3c73b81a9164d0c1b6379d6672d2772a9e95168e <4e9ec1c65da98c293f75d83755dfa5e03075a6d0
- Affected versionversion=3c73b81a9164d0c1b6379d6672d2772a9e95168e <f2447f6587b8ffe42ba04d14ce67d429a1163e5e
- Affected versionversion=5.8
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
No sourced classifications are available.
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
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo