CVE-2021-47546: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: fix memory leak in fib6_rule_suppress The kernel leaks memory when a `fib`...

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: fix memory leak in fib6_rule_suppress The kernel leaks memory when a `fib` rule is present in IPv6 nftables firewall rules and a suppress_prefix rule is present in the IPv6 routing rules (used by certain tools such as wg-quick). In such scenarios, every incoming packet will leak an allocation in `ip6_dst_cache` slab cache. After some hours of `bpftrace`-ing and source code reading, I tracked down the issue to ca7a03c41753 ("ipv6: do not free rt if FIB_LOOKUP_NOREF is set on suppress rule"). The problem with that change is that the generic `args->flags` always have `FIB_LOOKUP_NOREF` set[1][2] but the IPv6-specific flag `RT6_LOOKUP_F_DST_NOREF` might not be, leading to `fib6_rule_suppress` not decreasing the refcount when needed. How to reproduce: - Add the following nftables rule to a prerouting chain: meta nfproto ipv6 fib saddr . mark . iif oif missing drop This can be done with: sudo nft create table inet test sudo nft create chain inet test test_chain '{ type filter hook prerouting priority filter + 10; policy accept; }' sudo nft add rule inet test test_chain meta nfproto ipv6 fib saddr . mark . iif oif missing drop - Run: sudo ip -6 rule add table main suppress_prefixlength 0 - Watch `sudo slabtop -o | grep ip6_dst_cache` to see memory usage increase with every incoming ipv6 packet. This patch exposes the protocol-specific flags to the protocol specific `suppress` function, and check the protocol-specific `flags` argument for RT6_LOOKUP_F_DST_NOREF instead of the generic FIB_LOOKUP_NOREF when decreasing the refcount, like this. [1]: https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/ca7a03c4175366a92cee0ccc4fec0038c3266e26/net/ipv6/fib6_rules.c#L71 [2]: https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/ca7a03c4175366a92cee0ccc4fec0038c3266e26/net/ipv6/fib6_rules.c#L99

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS Probability

0.22%

12.7th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-401

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.4, < 5.4.164
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.5, < 5.10.84
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.11, < 5.15.7

References

Timeline

Published: May 24, 2024
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-47546?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: fix memory leak in fib6_rule_suppress The kernel leaks memory when a `fib` rule is present in IPv6 nftables firewall rules and a suppress_prefix rule is present in the IPv6 routing rules (used by certain tools such as wg-quick). In such scenarios, every incoming packet will leak an allocation in `ip6_dst_cache` slab cache. After some hours of `bpftrace`-ing and source code reading, I tracked down the issue to ca7a03c41753 ("ipv6: do not free rt if FIB_LOOKUP_NOREF is set on suppress rule"). The problem with that change is that the generic `args->flags` always have `FIB_LOOKUP_NOREF` set[1][2] but the IPv6-specific flag `RT6_LOOKUP_F_DST_NOREF` might not be, leading to `fib6_rule_suppress` not decreasing the refcount when needed. How to reproduce: - Add the following nftables rule to a prerouting chain: meta nfproto ipv6 fib saddr . mark . iif oif missing drop This can be done with: sudo nft create table inet test sudo nft create chain inet test test_chain '{ type filter hook prerouting priority filter + 10; policy accept; }' sudo nft add rule inet test test_chain meta nfproto ipv6 fib saddr . mark . iif oif missing drop - Run: sudo ip -6 rule add table main suppress_prefixlength 0 - Watch `sudo slabtop -o | grep ip6_dst_cache` to see memory usage increase with every incoming ipv6 packet. This patch exposes the protocol-specific flags to the protocol specific `suppress` function, and check the protocol-specific `flags` argument for RT6_LOOKUP_F_DST_NOREF instead of the generic FIB_LOOKUP_NOREF when decreasing the refcount, like this. [1]: https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/ca7a03c4175366a92cee0ccc4fec0038c3266e26/net/ipv6/fib6_rules.c#L71 [2]: https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/ca7a03c4175366a92cee0ccc4fec0038c3266e26/net/ipv6/fib6_rules.c#L99

How severe is CVE-2021-47546?

CVE-2021-47546 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.22% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2021-47546?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.