CVE-2021-47288 is a vulnerability identified in the Linux kernel's media subsystem, specifically within the ngene driver component. The flaw arises from an out-of-bounds memory access in the function ngene_command_config_free_buf(). The root cause is a programming error where the code attempts to copy six bytes of data into a one-byte sized member of an incorrect structure (FW_CONFIGURE_BUFFERS) using memcpy(). This results in a buffer overrun because the destination buffer is smaller than the source data. The correct structure intended for this operation is FW_CONFIGURE_FREE_BUFFERS, which contains a larger configuration member capable of safely holding the six bytes. The vulnerability has existed for approximately 11 years and was detected through compiler warnings triggered by the -Warray-bounds flag, indicating memory access beyond the bounds of the referenced object. The fix involves redefining the configuration member within FW_CONFIGURE_FREE_BUFFERS and updating the memcpy() call to use the correct destination address, thereby preventing the buffer overflow. This correction also aligns with efforts to enable stricter compiler checks and improve memory safety in the kernel by tightening FORTIFY_SOURCE protections on memcpy(). No known exploits are reported in the wild, and no CVSS score has been assigned yet. The vulnerability affects specific Linux kernel versions identified by commit hashes, and it pertains to the media driver handling ngene hardware, which is used for digital TV capture and related multimedia functions.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2021-47288 depends largely on their use of Linux systems running the affected kernel versions with the ngene driver enabled. The ngene driver is primarily used for digital TV capture hardware, which is more common in media production, broadcasting, and possibly some specialized industrial environments. If exploited, the out-of-bounds write could lead to memory corruption, potentially causing system instability, crashes (denial of service), or in a worst-case scenario, privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution if an attacker can carefully craft input to exploit the overflow. Given that the vulnerability is in kernel space, successful exploitation could compromise the entire system's integrity and confidentiality. However, exploitation complexity is moderate since it requires access to the vulnerable driver interface, which may not be exposed on all systems. For European media companies, broadcasters, and organizations using Linux-based multimedia appliances, this vulnerability could pose a risk to operational continuity and data security. Additionally, critical infrastructure entities that rely on Linux for media processing might be indirectly affected. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the long-standing nature of the bug suggests potential undiscovered attack vectors.

1. Apply the official Linux kernel patches that fix CVE-2021-47288 as soon as they become available from trusted sources or Linux distribution vendors. 2. Identify and inventory all Linux systems running affected kernel versions with the ngene driver enabled, focusing on media and broadcasting environments. 3. If immediate patching is not feasible, consider disabling or unloading the ngene driver module to eliminate the attack surface, provided this does not disrupt critical operations. 4. Implement strict access controls to limit user and process permissions that can interact with the ngene driver device nodes, reducing the risk of unauthorized exploitation. 5. Monitor system logs and kernel messages for unusual activity related to the ngene driver or media subsystem. 6. Employ kernel hardening techniques such as enabling kernel address space layout randomization (KASLR), kernel page-table isolation (KPTI), and other memory protection features to mitigate exploitation impact. 7. Regularly update and audit compiler flags and kernel build configurations to enable warnings like -Warray-bounds and FORTIFY_SOURCE to catch similar issues early in development cycles.