CVE-2021-46990

powerpc/64s: Fix crashes when toggling entry flush barrier

MEDIUM
5.5
CVSS Score
Published: February 28, 2024 at 08:13 AM UTC
Updated: June 17, 2026 at 04:16 AM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorLinux Kernel

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Severity
MEDIUM5.5
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.2%
SSVC
No known exploit

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: powerpc/64s: Fix crashes when toggling entry flush barrier The entry flush mitigation can be enabled/disabled at runtime via a debugfs file (entry_flush), which causes the kernel to patch itself to enable/disable the relevant mitigations. However depending on which mitigation we're using, it may not be safe to do that patching while other CPUs are active. For example the following crash: sleeper[15639]: segfault (11) at c000000000004c20 nip c000000000004c20 lr c000000000004c20 Shows that we returned to userspace with a corrupted LR that points into the kernel, due to executing the partially patched call to the fallback entry flush (ie. we missed the LR restore). Fix it by doing the patching under stop machine. The CPUs that aren't doing the patching will be spinning in the core of the stop machine logic. That is currently sufficient for our purposes, because none of the patching we do is to that code or anywhere in the vicinity.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

v ≥ 5.9.104.14.208 ≤ v < 4.14.2334.19.159 ≤ v < 4.19.1914.4.245 ≤ v < 4.4.2694.9.245 ≤ v < 4.9.2695.10 ≤ v < 5.10.385.10 ≤ v < 5.11.225.10 ≤ v < 5.12.55.10 ≤ v < 5.135.11 ≤ v < 5.11.225.12 ≤ v < 5.12.55.4.79 ≤ v < 5.4.1205.9.10 ≤ v < 5.104.14.2084.19.1594.4.2454.9.2454a1e90af718d1489ffcecc8f52486c4f5dc0f7a65.13 rc15.4.795.9.10b65458b6be8032c5179d4f562038575d7b3a6be3db01cad9efe3c3838a6b3a3f68affd295c4b92d6e590b36718d6e740b7b19514f710402a6499164cf69bb4e51f41973fb7594be1479fa689831efe1af79643787e0a0762d2409b7b8334e83f22d85695fa4bf9f38184ed7ca4916eb64f8c767d1e279c1f
Vendor states this is fixed in 0b4eb172cc12dc102cd0ad013e53ee4463db9508 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 0c25a7bb697f2e6ee65b6d63782f675bf129511a (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 2db22ba4e0e103f00e0512e0ecce36ac78c644f8 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5bc00fdda1e934c557351a9c751a205293e68cbf (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 8382b15864e5014261b4f36c2aa89723612ee058 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in aec86b052df6541cc97c5fca44e5934cbea4963b (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in d2e3590ca39ccfd8a5a46d8c7f095cb6c7b9ae92 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in dd0d6117052faace5440db20fc37175efe921c7d (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in ee4b7aab93c2631c3bb0753023c5dda592bb666b (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 4.14.233 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 4.19.191 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 4.4.269 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 4.9.269 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.10 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.10.38 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.11.22 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.12.5 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.13 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.4.120 (unaffected)

References (9)

Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0b4eb172cc12dc102cd0ad013e53ee4463db9508
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0c25a7bb697f2e6ee65b6d63782f675bf129511a
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2db22ba4e0e103f00e0512e0ecce36ac78c644f8
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5bc00fdda1e934c557351a9c751a205293e68cbf
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8382b15864e5014261b4f36c2aa89723612ee058
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/aec86b052df6541cc97c5fca44e5934cbea4963b
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d2e3590ca39ccfd8a5a46d8c7f095cb6c7b9ae92
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dd0d6117052faace5440db20fc37175efe921c7d

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitNot automatablePartial impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

Attack Vector
LOCAL
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
LOW
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
NONE
Integrity
NONE
Availability
HIGH
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusANALYZED
CWE
NVD-CWE-noinfo

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