CVE-2021-47016: 
Linux Kernel vulnerability analysis and mitigation

Overview

CVE-2021-47016 affects the Linux kernel's m68k platform, specifically the mvme147 and mvme16x timer configuration. The vulnerability was discovered when timer interrupts were not being delivered after the first interrupt, causing system initialization to hang in calibrate_delay due to the jiffies counter not being updated (NVD).

Technical details

The vulnerability occurs due to incorrect handling of PCC timer configuration bits. When clearing the interrupt flag and counter overflow, the timer 1 configuration bits were being inadvertently wiped out. This issue affects Linux kernel versions from 5.2 through 5.12.4. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 Base Score of 5.5 (Medium) with vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H (NVD).

Impact

The vulnerability results in system initialization failure as the jiffies counter stops updating after the first timer interrupt. This leads to a hang during the calibrate_delay process, effectively preventing the system from completing its boot process (NVD).

Exploitability

The vulnerability requires local access and low privileges to exploit. No remote exploitation is possible, and no user interaction is needed (NVD).

Mitigation and workarounds

The issue has been fixed by modifying the timer configuration handling to preserve the timer 1 configuration bits when clearing the interrupt flag and counter overflow. For mvme16x systems, the timer is now enabled after requesting the IRQ, consistent with mvme147 behavior. The fix is available in the kernel patch (Kernel Patch).

Additional resources


Source: This report was generated using AI

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