CVE-2021-46959

HIGHNVD 7.87.8
EchelonGraph scoreMEDIUM confidence

“—” beside the score: it is equal to NVD's CVSS score.

Score 7.8 from GitHub Security Advisory (severity: HIGH) published 2024-03-01. NVD baseline CVSS 7.8; sources differ by 0.0.

Triggered by: GitHub Security Advisory CVSS
Sources: EPSS, GitHub Security Advisory, NVD CVSS v3
Trending — 4 sources updated this week

Also known asEUVD-2021-33607 (ENISA EUVD) · GHSA-p64f-v3w3-f3gw (GitHub Security Advisories)Source: ENISA EUVD

7.8EG
EchelonGraph verdictPlan a fixRemediate within your standard update timelines (the SSVC decision on this page).
  • High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS PROB: 0.2%CVSS: 7.8Exploit: None knownExposed services: Not assessed

A fix is available — apply it.

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

spi: Fix use-after-free with devm_spi_alloc_*

We can't rely on the contents of the devres list during spi_unregister_controller(), as the list is already torn down at the time we perform devres_find() for devm_spi_release_controller. This causes devices registered with devm_spi_alloc_{master,slave}() to be mistakenly identified as legacy, non-devm managed devices and have their reference counters decremented below 0.

------------[ cut here ]------------ WARNING: CPU: 1 PID: 660 at lib/refcount.c:28 refcount_warn_saturate+0x108/0x174 [] (refcount_warn_saturate) from [] (kobject_put+0x90/0x98) [] (kobject_put) from [] (put_device+0x20/0x24) r4:b6700140 [] (put_device) from [] (devm_spi_release_controller+0x3c/0x40) [] (devm_spi_release_controller) from [] (release_nodes+0x84/0xc4) r5:b6700180 r4:b6700100 [] (release_nodes) from [] (devres_release_all+0x5c/0x60) r8:b1638c54 r7:b117ad94 r6:b1638c10 r5:b117ad94 r4:b163dc10 [] (devres_release_all) from [] (__device_release_driver+0x144/0x1ec) r5:b117ad94 r4:b163dc10 [] (__device_release_driver) from [] (device_driver_detach+0x84/0xa0) r9:00000000 r8:00000000 r7:b117ad94 r6:b163dc54 r5:b1638c10 r4:b163dc10 [] (device_driver_detach) from [] (unbind_store+0xe4/0xf8)

Instead, determine the devm allocation state as a flag on the controller which is guaranteed to be stable during cleanup.

CVSS v3
7.8
EG Score
7.8HIGHmedium confidence
EG Risk
35
EG Risk 35/100

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score. It fuses impact severity (EG Severity, the CVSS base score, never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score) with real-world exploitation and automatability, under weights EchelonGraph set by hand, so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner.

How it’s computed (value × EchelonGraph’s weight)
Severity78% × 45%
Impact severity (EG Severity): CVSS 7.8 of 10. Never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score.
Exploitation0.2% × 40%
FIRST EPSS: the 30-day exploitation probability when EchelonGraph scored this CVE.
Automatability0% × 15%
CISA's SSVC Automatable value: no (Vulnrichment).
SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph): Track at every mission impact level.
Exploitation none (CISA Vulnrichment) · Automatable no (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact partial (CISA Vulnrichment). All three are CISA's SSVC values (Vulnrichment). EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE.
Action: A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines.
EPSS PROB
0.2%
EPSS %ILE
15th
KEV
Not listed

What the EG score is made of (scorer v4.0: the three questions the 0–10 score mixes, published apart · methodology)

The EG score (7.8): severity, escalated by confirmed exploitation. This CVE's 7.8 is its impact severity (EG Severity), not escalated.

EG Severity
7.8 HIGHCVSS-B, impact only: no KEV listing, EPSS or EG-KEV tier raises it.GitHub Security Advisory CVSS
EG Likelihood
0.2% within 30 daysSource: FIRST EPSS (model v2026.06.15, score date 2026-10-27). FIRST's exploitation probability, not an EchelonGraph model.
Confirmed exploitation
None on record (CISA KEV, EG-KEV Tier 1)Reported apart from the likelihood: an observed fact, not a probability.
EG Priority
SSVC Track at medium mission impactTrack at every mission impact level.CISA BOD 26-04: 60 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; Fix on system upgrade if it is not.Each input and its source, and whom BOD 26-04 binds: the SSVC and BOD 26-04 blocks below.

SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph)Track at every mission impact level.

A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines.

Exploitation none (CISA Vulnrichment) · Automatable no (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact partial (CISA Vulnrichment). All three are CISA's SSVC values (Vulnrichment). EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE. Mission impact is CISA's Mission & Well-being decision point, and only you can judge it. CISA's table makes it high when Mission Prevalence is Essential — the vulnerable component "directly provides capabilities that constitute at least one MEF for at least one entity" (MEF: mission essential function) — or when Public Well-Being Impact is Irreversible: "multiple fatalities are likely", the cyber-physical system "is likely lost or destroyed", "extreme or serious externalities" are imposed on other parties, or social systems such as elections or the financial grid "are destabilized and potentially collapse". CISA's decision table

BOD 26-04 (CISA's remediation timeline, Table 1)60 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; Fix on system upgrade if it is not.

The score's inputs: In CISA KEV no (CISA's KEV catalog) · Automatable no (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact partial (CISA Vulnrichment). Whether your system is publicly exposed is yours to answer. BOD 26-04 binds US Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies; for anyone else it is CISA's published timeline, a reference rather than an obligation. The directive · how EchelonGraph applies it

Published

February 29, 2024

Last Modified

December 10, 2024

Advisory Details (9)

Auto-updated Oct 4, 2026
Patch available.
Web page

spi: Fix use-after-free with devm_spi_alloc_* - kernel/git/stable/linux.git - Linux kernel stable tree

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/001c8e83646ad3b847b18f6ac55a54367d917d74
Web page

spi: Fix use-after-free with devm_spi_alloc_* - kernel/git/stable/linux.git - Linux kernel stable tree

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cee78aa24578edac8cf00513dca618c0acc17cd7
Web page

spi: Fix use-after-free with devm_spi_alloc_* - kernel/git/stable/linux.git - Linux kernel stable tree

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c7fabe372a9031acd00498bc718ce27c253abfd1
Web page

spi: Fix use-after-free with devm_spi_alloc_* - kernel/git/stable/linux.git - Linux kernel stable tree

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8e029707f50a82c53172359c686b2536ab54e58c
Web page

spi: Fix use-after-free with devm_spi_alloc_* - kernel/git/stable/linux.git - Linux kernel stable tree

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8bf96425c90f5c1dcf3b7b9df568019a1d4b8a0e
Web page

spi: Fix use-after-free with devm_spi_alloc_* - kernel/git/stable/linux.git - Linux kernel stable tree

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8735248ebb918d25427965f0db07939ed0473ec6
Web page

spi: Fix use-after-free with devm_spi_alloc_* - kernel/git/stable/linux.git - Linux kernel stable tree

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/794aaf01444d4e765e2b067cba01cc69c1c68ed9
Web page

spi: Fix use-after-free with devm_spi_alloc_* - kernel/git/stable/linux.git - Linux kernel stable tree

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/62bb2c7f2411a0045c24831f11ecacfc35610815
Web page

spi: Fix use-after-free with devm_spi_alloc_* - kernel/git/stable/linux.git - Linux kernel stable tree

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/28a5529068c51cdf0295ab1e11a99a3a909a03e4

Patch Availability(4)

Vendor / EcosystemFix (by version range) / PatchReleasedSource
ubuntulinux-tools-aws (4.4.0.1143.140) @ trusty2026-10-28ubuntu
ubuntulinux-virtual-lts-xenial (4.4.0.268.274) @ xenial2026-10-28ubuntu
ubuntulinux-virtual-lts-xenial (4.4.0.268.302~14.04.1) @ trusty2026-10-28ubuntu
ubuntulinux-tools-fips (4.4.0.1113.114) @ xenial2026-10-28ubuntu

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.

Affected Packages

(4 across 4 ecosystems)
Debian:11(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
linux—
  • every version up to 5.10.38-1: fixed in 5.10.38-1
—
Debian:12(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
linux—
  • every version up to 5.10.38-1: fixed in 5.10.38-1
—
Debian:13(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
linux—
  • every version up to 5.10.38-1: fixed in 5.10.38-1
—
Debian:14(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
linux—
  • every version up to 5.10.38-1: fixed in 5.10.38-1
—

Weakness Classification(1)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

All Vendor Advisories

(4)

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 10× in last 7d / 40× in last 30d)

Each row is a time one of our pipelines fetched, updated or re-scored this CVE. 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. An arrow marks a change the record states ("CVSS v3 → 9.1"); EPSS and GHSA rows show the values recorded at that time, not what changed (EPSS values are rounded; hover one for the exact figures). Most recent first.

Showing the most recent 97 of 208 refreshes on record for this CVE.

A repeat, a row identical to one the same pipeline wrote less than 10 seconds earlier, is not a separate refresh and is not counted. 3 repeat rows among the latest 100 are merged into the row they repeat. The 111 oldest rows on record are not shown and were not checked, so the counts can still include repeats.

  1. 2026-11-01 16:30 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  2. 2026-10-31 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  3. 2026-10-30 16:30 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  4. 2026-10-29 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  5. 2026-10-28 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  6. 2026-10-28 04:33 UTCEG score recompute
  7. 2026-10-28 04:33 UTCVendor advisory
  8. 2026-10-28 04:33 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-p64f-v3w3-f3gw · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  9. 2026-10-27 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  10. 2026-10-26 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  11. 2026-10-25 18:18 UTCEG score recompute
  12. 2026-10-25 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  13. 2026-10-24 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  14. 2026-10-23 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  15. 2026-10-22 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  16. 2026-10-21 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  17. 2026-10-21 08:35 UTCEG score recompute
  18. 2026-10-21 08:35 UTCVendor advisory
  19. 2026-10-21 08:35 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-p64f-v3w3-f3gw · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.8
  20. 2026-10-20 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  21. 2026-10-19 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  22. 2026-10-18 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  23. 2026-10-18 08:50 UTCEG score recompute
  24. 2026-10-17 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  25. 2026-10-16 16:34 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
Show 72 more
  1. 2026-10-15 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  2. 2026-10-14 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  3. 2026-10-13 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  4. 2026-10-12 19:05 UTCEG score recompute
  5. 2026-10-12 16:30 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  6. 2026-10-11 23:31 UTCEG score recompute
  7. 2026-10-11 21:54 UTCOSV refresh
  8. 2026-10-11 13:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  9. 2026-10-10 19:56 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  10. 2026-10-09 20:04 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  11. 2026-10-08 16:40 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  12. 2026-10-07 23:45 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  13. 2026-10-06 15:14 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  14. 2026-10-05 17:40 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  15. 2026-10-04 23:19 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  16. 2026-10-03 14:22 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  17. 2026-10-02 16:23 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  18. 2026-09-30 15:45 UTCEG score recompute
  19. 2026-09-30 15:00 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  20. 2026-09-29 15:15 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  21. 2026-09-28 13:47 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  22. 2026-09-26 15:54 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  23. 2026-09-26 00:21 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  24. 2026-09-24 14:00 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 14th percentile
  25. 2026-09-23 13:45 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 16th percentile
  26. 2026-09-22 14:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 16th percentile
  27. 2026-09-22 06:45 UTCOSV refresh
  28. 2026-09-21 20:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 16th percentile
  29. 2026-09-20 20:13 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 16th percentile
  30. 2026-09-19 15:38 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 16th percentile
  31. 2026-09-18 19:24 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 16th percentile
  32. 2026-09-17 19:23 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  33. 2026-09-16 14:05 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  34. 2026-09-15 03:06 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  35. 2026-09-12 14:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  36. 2026-09-11 14:49 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  37. 2026-09-11 09:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  38. 2026-09-08 21:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  39. 2026-09-07 15:58 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  40. 2026-09-06 13:45 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  41. 2026-09-05 15:25 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  42. 2026-09-04 13:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  43. 2026-09-04 05:03 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  44. 2026-09-03 03:59 UTCOSV refresh
  45. 2026-09-02 14:09 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  46. 2026-09-01 13:51 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  47. 2026-08-30 19:14 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  48. 2026-08-30 01:19 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  49. 2026-08-28 21:38 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  50. 2026-08-27 14:22 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  51. 2026-08-26 14:43 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  52. 2026-08-25 13:46 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  53. 2026-08-24 14:13 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  54. 2026-08-21 23:46 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 16th percentile
  55. 2026-08-20 22:52 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 16th percentile
  56. 2026-08-19 17:01 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 16th percentile
  57. 2026-08-18 13:45 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 16th percentile
  58. 2026-08-17 13:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 16th percentile
  59. 2026-08-16 16:56 UTCOSV refresh
  60. 2026-08-16 14:53 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 16th percentile
  61. 2026-08-16 02:11 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 16th percentile
  62. 2026-08-15 01:27 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  63. 2026-08-13 21:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  64. 2026-08-12 13:48 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  65. 2026-08-11 13:38 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  66. 2026-08-09 13:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  67. 2026-08-08 16:34 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  68. 2026-08-07 16:24 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  69. 2026-08-06 13:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  70. 2026-08-05 19:15 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  71. 2026-08-04 15:06 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile
  72. 2026-08-04 10:34 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 0.2% · 15th percentile

Frequently asked(5)

What is CVE-2021-46959?
CVE-2021-46959 is a high-severity vulnerability; its CVE record was published on February 29, 2024. In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: spi: Fix use-after-free with devm_spi_alloc_* We can't rely on the contents of the devres list during spi_unregister_controller(), as the list is already torn down at the time we perform devres_find() for…
When was the CVE record for CVE-2021-46959 published?
The CVE record for CVE-2021-46959 was published on February 29, 2024. That is the record's publication date; the vulnerability itself may have been made public earlier. EchelonGraph's copy of the record carries a last-modified date of December 10, 2024; the record at its source may have been updated since.
Is CVE-2021-46959 actively exploited?
CVE-2021-46959 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days (15th percentile of EPSS-scored CVEs).
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-46959?
CVE-2021-46959 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.8 (NVD).
How do I remediate CVE-2021-46959?
A fix for CVE-2021-46959 is available: update to the fixed version the vendor names in its advisory.

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