CVE-2021-36146 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

ACRN before version 2.5 is impacted by a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability in the devicemodel/hw/pci/xhci.c file that affects a TRB pointer.

Understanding CVE-2021-36146

This section provides insight into the nature and impact of CVE-2021-36146.

What is CVE-2021-36146?

CVE-2021-36146 is a vulnerability present in ACRN versions before 2.5, specifically within the devicemodel/hw/pci/xhci.c file. The issue results in a NULL Pointer Dereference for a TRB pointer.

The Impact of CVE-2021-36146

The vulnerability could be exploited by an attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) on the affected system or potentially execute arbitrary code.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-36146

In this section, we delve into the technical aspects of CVE-2021-36146.

Vulnerability Description

ACRN prior to version 2.5 is prone to a NULL Pointer Dereference issue in devicemodel/hw/pci/xhci.c due to improper handling of TRB pointers.

Affected Systems and Versions

All versions of ACRN before 2.5 are affected by this vulnerability across various platforms.

Exploitation Mechanism

An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted requests to the affected system, leading to the exploitation of the NULL pointer dereference flaw.

Mitigation and Prevention

This section outlines the steps to mitigate and prevent the exploitation of CVE-2021-36146.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users are advised to update ACRN to version 2.5 or newer to mitigate the vulnerability. Additionally, implementing proper input validation mechanisms can help prevent exploitation.

Long-Term Security Practices

Incorporate regular security audits and code reviews in the development process to identify and address similar vulnerabilities in the future.

Patching and Updates

Stay up-to-date with security patches and advisories released by the ACRN project to address known vulnerabilities, including CVE-2021-36146.