{"cve":"CVE-2021-46939","nvd":{"published":"2024-02-27T19:04:05.873","modified":"2026-06-17T04:15:55.240","status":"Modified","description":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\ntracing: Restructure trace_clock_global() to never block\n\nIt was reported that a fix to the ring buffer recursion detection would\ncause a hung machine when performing suspend / resume testing. The\nfollowing backtrace was extracted from debugging that case:\n\nCall Trace:\n trace_clock_global+0x91/0xa0\n __rb_reserve_next+0x237/0x460\n ring_buffer_lock_reserve+0x12a/0x3f0\n trace_buffer_lock_reserve+0x10/0x50\n __trace_graph_return+0x1f/0x80\n trace_graph_return+0xb7/0xf0\n ? trace_clock_global+0x91/0xa0\n ftrace_return_to_handler+0x8b/0xf0\n ? pv_hash+0xa0/0xa0\n return_to_handler+0x15/0x30\n ? ftrace_graph_caller+0xa0/0xa0\n ? trace_clock_global+0x91/0xa0\n ? __rb_reserve_next+0x237/0x460\n ? ring_buffer_lock_reserve+0x12a/0x3f0\n ? trace_event_buffer_lock_reserve+0x3c/0x120\n ? trace_event_buffer_reserve+0x6b/0xc0\n ? trace_event_raw_event_device_pm_callback_start+0x125/0x2d0\n ? dpm_run_callback+0x3b/0xc0\n ? pm_ops_is_empty+0x50/0x50\n ? platform_get_irq_byname_optional+0x90/0x90\n ? trace_device_pm_callback_start+0x82/0xd0\n ? dpm_run_callback+0x49/0xc0\n\nWith the following RIP:\n\nRIP: 0010:native_queued_spin_lock_slowpath+0x69/0x200\n\nSince the fix to the recursion detection would allow a single recursion to\nhappen while tracing, this lead to the trace_clock_global() taking a spin\nlock and then trying to take it again:\n\nring_buffer_lock_reserve() {\n  trace_clock_global() {\n    arch_spin_lock() {\n      queued_spin_lock_slowpath() {\n        /* lock taken */\n        (something else gets traced by function graph tracer)\n          ring_buffer_lock_reserve() {\n            trace_clock_global() {\n              arch_spin_lock() {\n                queued_spin_lock_slowpath() {\n                /* DEAD LOCK! */\n\nTracing should *never* block, as it can lead to strange lockups like the\nabove.\n\nRestructure the trace_clock_global() code to instead of simply taking a\nlock to update the recorded \"prev_time\" simply use it, as two events\nhappening on two different CPUs that calls this at the same time, really\ndoesn't matter which one goes first. Use a trylock to grab the lock for\nupdating the prev_time, and if it fails, simply try again the next time.\nIf it failed to be taken, that means something else is already updating\nit.\n\n\nBugzilla: https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=212761","cvss_v4":null,"cvss_v3":{"version":"3.1","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","score":5.5},"cwes":["CWE-662","CWE-400"],"references":["https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1fca00920327be96f3318224f502e4d5460f9545","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2a1bd74b8186d7938bf004f5603f25b84785f63e","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6e2418576228eeb12e7ba82edb8f9500623942ff","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/859b47a43f5a0e5b9a92b621dc6ceaad39fb5c8b","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/91ca6f6a91f679c8645d7f3307e03ce86ad518c4"],"products":["linux:linux_kernel"],"source":"nvd","synced_at":"2026-10-19T21:45:59.823092188+00:00"},"epss":{"cve":"CVE-2021-46939","score":0.00246,"percentile":0.15987,"date":"2026-11-01"},"kev":null,"osv":[],"attribution":["This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.","EPSS scores: FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System, https://www.first.org/epss","Known exploited vulnerabilities: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog","Package advisories: OSV (https://osv.dev), from the GitHub Advisory Database, PyPA, Go, RustSec and other ecosystem databases, under CC-BY 4.0 or CC0","CVE records: the CVE Program's CVE List (https://www.cve.org), under its terms of use (https://www.cve.org/Legal/TermsOfUse). CVE is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation; this product is not affiliated with the CVE Program."]}