CVE-2021-47312: netfilter: nf_tables: Fix dereference of null pointer flow

Severity: medium (CVSS 5.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2024-05-21 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-476

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nf_tables: Fix dereference of null pointer flow In the case where chain->flags & NFT_CHAIN_HW_OFFLOAD is false then nft_flow_rule_create is not called and flow is NULL. The subsequent error handling execution via label err_destroy_flow_rule will lead to a null pointer dereference on flow when calling nft_flow_rule_destroy. Since the error path to err_destroy_flow_rule has to cater for null and non-null flows, only call nft_flow_rule_destroy if flow is non-null to fix this issue. Addresses-Coverity: ("Explicity null dereference")

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 5.13.2 before 5.13.5 — fixed in 5.13.5

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 5.13.5. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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