CVE-2021-46894CWE-269

Use After Free (UAF) vulnerability in the uinput module.Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may lead to kernel privilege escalation

published July 6, 2023

CVSS
—
EPSS
0%
Percentile
38.1
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

⚠️ A sneaky use-after-free vulnerability is lurking in the uinput module! This is like a forgotten toy left in a playroom where it could trip up a kid—only this time, the kid has kernel-level access! 🔥 Think of this as a bakery that forgets to remove an old recipe from the system; a new baker might accidentally use it and end up with a batch of cookies that didn’t pass quality control. In this case, the kernel is the bakery, and the forgotten recipe is the freed memory that can still be accessed. If exploited, an attacker could escalate their privileges to the kernel level, gaining control over the entire system—not just a few cookies, but the whole bakery! This could lead to unauthorized access, data breaches, or even complete system takeovers, creating chaos.

Put simply

Think of this as a bakery that forgets to remove an old recipe from the system; a new baker might accidentally use it and end up with a batch of cookies that didn’t pass quality control. In this case, the kernel is the bakery, and the forgotten recipe is the freed memory that can still be accessed. This use-after-free vulnerability occurs when memory that has been freed is still accessible, allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. It's like accidentally leaving the backdoor open after locking the front one.

What to do

If exploited, an attacker could escalate their privileges to the kernel level, gaining control over the entire system—not just a few cookies, but the whole bakery! This could lead to unauthorized access, data breaches, or even complete system takeovers, creating chaos. To mitigate this vulnerability, ensure that your system is updated with the latest patches from your vendor, as they may contain fixes for this issue. Additionally, review any code that interacts with the uinput module for proper memory handling and access controls. 🛡️ You've got this! Stay vigilant, apply those updates, and keep your systems secure! 💪✨

The record
Technical detail
CVSS
Not scored
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.00450 · 38.1th percentile
Weakness
CWE-269 · Improper Privilege Management
Published
2023-07-06T12:23Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 06 JUL 12:23Z
    Use After Free (UAF) vulnerability in the uinput module.Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may lead to kernel privilege escalation
    cvelistv5