CVE-2021-47260 - pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/sashal/vulns-desc - Git at Google

 The vulnerability CVE-2021-47260 is a potential NULL dereference issue in the `nfs_get_client()` function of the Linux kernel's NFS (Network File System) implementation. This function returns a pointer to an NFS client structure, which is used to manage connections to an NFS server. However, if the function fails to initialize the client structure, it may return a NULL pointer.

 The problem arises because none of the callers of `nfs_get_client()` expect a NULL return value, and therefore do not check for it before using the returned pointer. This can lead to a kernel Oops (a type of crash) when the NULL pointer is dereferenced.

 To fix this issue, the kernel developers have modified the `nfs_get_client()` function to return an error pointer instead of NULL when initialization fails. This change ensures that callers of the function will receive a valid error indicator and can handle the failure appropriately.

 The vulnerability was introduced in Linux kernel version 3.17 with commit 31434f496abb and has been fixed in various kernel versions, including 4.4.273, 4.9.273, 4.14.237, 4.19.195, 5.4.126, 5.10.44, 5.12.11, and 5.13. The affected file is `fs/nfs/client.c`. To mitigate this issue, users are recommended to update to the latest stable kernel version.
	The vulnerability CVE-2021-47260 is a potential NULL dereference issue in the `nfs_get_client()` function of the Linux kernel's NFS (Network File System) implementation. This function returns a pointer to an NFS client structure, which is used to manage connections to an NFS server. However, if the function fails to initialize the client structure, it may return a NULL pointer.

	The problem arises because none of the callers of `nfs_get_client()` expect a NULL return value, and therefore do not check for it before using the returned pointer. This can lead to a kernel Oops (a type of crash) when the NULL pointer is dereferenced.

	To fix this issue, the kernel developers have modified the `nfs_get_client()` function to return an error pointer instead of NULL when initialization fails. This change ensures that callers of the function will receive a valid error indicator and can handle the failure appropriately.

	The vulnerability was introduced in Linux kernel version 3.17 with commit 31434f496abb and has been fixed in various kernel versions, including 4.4.273, 4.9.273, 4.14.237, 4.19.195, 5.4.126, 5.10.44, 5.12.11, and 5.13. The affected file is `fs/nfs/client.c`. To mitigate this issue, users are recommended to update to the latest stable kernel version.