Shiftfs, an out-of-tree stacking file system included in Ubuntu Linux kernels, did not properly handle faults occurring during copy_from_user() correctly. These could lead to either a double-free situation or memory not being freed at all. An attacker could use this to cause a denial of service (kernel memory exhaustion) or gain privileges via executing arbitrary code. AKA ZDI-CAN-13562.
CVE-2021-3492
This high-severity CVE scores 8.8 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 1.5%, top 28% of all CVEs by exploit prediction. GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
A fix is available — apply it.
- CVSS v3
- 8.8
- EG Score
- 8.8(medium)
- EG Risk
- 60(Track)EG Risk 60/100SSVC: Track
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).
How it’s computedSeverity88% × 45%Exploitation40% × 40%Automatability30% × 15%Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence. - EPSS
- 72.4%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
April 17, 2021
Last Modified
November 21, 2024
References (12)
- security@ubuntuhttp://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162614/Kernel-Live-Patch-Security-Notice-LSN-0077-1.html
- security@ubuntuhttps://git.launchpad.net/~ubuntu-kernel/ubuntu/+source/linux/+git/focal/commit/?id=25c891a949bf918b59cbc6e4932015ba4c35c333
- security@ubuntuhttps://git.launchpad.net/~ubuntu-kernel/ubuntu/+source/linux/+git/focal/commit/?id=8fee52ab9da87d82bc6de9ebb3480fff9b4d53e6
- security@ubuntuhttps://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-4917-1
- security@ubuntuhttps://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/04/16/2
- security@ubuntuhttps://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-422/
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162614/Kernel-Live-Patch-Security-Notice-LSN-0077-1.html
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://git.launchpad.net/~ubuntu-kernel/ubuntu/+source/linux/+git/focal/commit/?id=25c891a949bf918b59cbc6e4932015ba4c35c333
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://git.launchpad.net/~ubuntu-kernel/ubuntu/+source/linux/+git/focal/commit/?id=8fee52ab9da87d82bc6de9ebb3480fff9b4d53e6
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-4917-1
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/04/16/2
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-422/
Patch Availability(3)
| Vendor / Ecosystem | Fixed in / Patch | Released | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ubuntu | linux-image-oem-20.04 (5.6.0.1054.50) @ focal | 2026-05-26 | ubuntu |
| ubuntu | linux-image-virtual-hwe-20.04-edge (5.8.0.50.55) @ groovy | 2026-05-26 | ubuntu |
| ubuntu | lowlatency-5.4 (5.4.0-26) @ bionic | 2026-05-26 | ubuntu |
Patches are aggregated from vendor advisories (Red Hat, Microsoft, Cisco, GitHub) and package ecosystems (OSV, GHSA). Multiple rows for the same upstream release have been deduplicated.
Weakness Classification(2)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
All Vendor Advisories
(3)
Every vendor that published an advisory referencing this CVE — pulled from our cve_vendor_advisories aggregation. Click any row for the vendor's original advisory page.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 12× in last 7d / 48× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-07-23 02:01 UTCEG score recompute
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Publicly available exploits
(1 reference)Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 GitHub PoC). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- GitHub PoCsynacktiv/CVE-2021-3492First seen Jun 28, 2021
PoC for CVE-2021-3492 used at Pwn2Own 2021
Open source ↗
Related CVEs(same vendor + same CWE)
Same vendor
10 shownubuntu
Same CWE
10 shownCWE-415
- CVE-2018-0101EG 10.0EPSS 100%CRITICAL
- CVE-2007-4773EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2018-16402EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2016-8619NVD 5.3EG 9.8EPSS 91%MEDIUM
- CVE-2016-8618NVD 5.3EG 9.8EPSS 91%MEDIUM
- CVE-2018-12782EG 9.8EPSS 95%CRITICAL
- CVE-2018-14054EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2015-9165EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2017-18201EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2017-18174EG 9.8CRITICAL
Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2021-3492?
When was CVE-2021-3492 disclosed?
Is CVE-2021-3492 actively exploited?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-3492?
How do I remediate CVE-2021-3492?
Dependency Blast Radius
Explore the affected products and dependency analysis for CVE-2021-3492
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