Kernel crash via missing private-page reference
Published Feb 26, 2025 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Linux kernel UBIFS allows local users to crash affected systems during page migration through a page-refcount race. The UBIFS write-end path sets PG_private without taking the required extra page reference, so migration miscounts users and races put_page against page_ref_unfreeze. Exploitation requires local access, an active UBIFS filesystem on flash-backed UBI storage, and concurrent write, read, and page-compaction activity; the resulting refcount underflow triggers a kernel BUG and service interruption.
Summary
What happened
Linux kernel UBIFS allows local users to crash affected systems during page migration through a page-refcount race. The UBIFS write-end path sets PG_private without taking the required extra page reference, so migration miscounts users and races put_page against page_ref_unfreeze. Exploitation requires local access, an active UBIFS filesystem on flash-backed UBI storage, and concurrent write, read, and page-compaction activity; the resulting refcount underflow triggers a kernel BUG and service interruption.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-47635
- Published
- Feb 26, 2025
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Feb 26, 2025CVE 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?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=1e51764a3c2ac05a23a22b2a95ddee4d9bffb16d <3b67db8a6ca83e6ff90b756d3da0c966f61cd37b
- Affected versionversion=1e51764a3c2ac05a23a22b2a95ddee4d9bffb16d <4f75bab98565afd4f905059c56ec4caba88a7eec
- Affected versionversion=1e51764a3c2ac05a23a22b2a95ddee4d9bffb16d <5aaa2c0f0052b02c4a982993d4c5bb68fb7cbe22
- Affected versionversion=1e51764a3c2ac05a23a22b2a95ddee4d9bffb16d <c34ae24a2590fee96a3a7735ba2fa6cc52306221
- Affected versionversion=1e51764a3c2ac05a23a22b2a95ddee4d9bffb16d <fbeb2139eed65e929ce806c6468e6601ade01b1b
- Affected versionversion=2.6.27
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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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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