Memory leaks in perf report

Kernel Updated 02 Oct 2025

Summary

19/12/2021

Disclosed on

N/A

Severity

No i

Fix available

Unrated

Severity

Not published

CVSS Score

GSD-2021-1002446: perf report: Fix memory leaks around perf_tip(). Affects Kernel versions < df5990db088d4c7fea9a2f9b8195a7859e1768c4. No fix is published. How to fix ↓

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Background

The Kernel package is a crucial component of the Linux operating system. It provides the core functionality and interfaces for various hardware devices, system resources, and software components. The perf report tool is a part of the Kernel package and is used for performance analysis and profiling. It collects and analyzes performance data to identify bottlenecks and optimize system performance.

Vulnerability Detail

The perf report tool in the Kernel package has been found to have memory leaks around the perf_tip() function. Memory leaks occur when allocated memory is not properly released, leading to a gradual depletion of available memory resources. This vulnerability could potentially result in system instability, performance degradation, and denial-of-service attacks. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to exhaust system memory, causing the system to crash or become unresponsive. The vulnerability has been fixed in Linux Kernel version v5.4.164 by commit df5990db088d4c7fea9a2f9b8195a7859e1768c4.

How To Fix

No fixed version is published for this vulnerability.

To fix this vulnerability, it is recommended to update the Kernel package to version v5.4.164 or later. This can be done by downloading the updated Kernel source code from the official repository (https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/) and compiling it according to the provided instructions. Once the updated Kernel is installed, the memory leaks around perf_tip() will be resolved.

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Workaround

There is no specific workaround mentioned for this vulnerability. Updating the Kernel package to the fixed version is the recommended solution.

Conclusion

The perf report tool in the Kernel package has been found to have memory leaks around the perf_tip() function. This vulnerability can lead to system instability and denial-of-service attacks. It is crucial to update the Kernel package to version v5.4.164 or later to fix this vulnerability. For further support on vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.

See every vulnerability recorded for Kernel →