CVE-2021-21345

CVE-2021-21345 is a vulnerability that affects the Linux kernel and was discovered in February 2021. This flaw allows an attacker to gain elevated privileges on the affected system by exploiting a race condition in the implementation of the file system. In other words, an attacker can manipulate the state of the file system to execute arbitrary code with administrative privileges. The vulnerability was assigned a CVSS score of 7.8, indicating a high level of severity and the potential for significant impact. The affected systems include various Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and CentOS. Mitigating this vulnerability involves updating to the latest version of the Linux kernel and applying any necessary security patches. In May 2021, a proof-of-concept exploit was published that demonstrated how the vulnerability could be exploited. This raised concerns about the potential for malicious actors to use this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information or launch further attacks on affected systems. As such, it is important for system administrators to promptly patch their systems to protect against this vulnerability.