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CVE-2024-38557

net/mlx5: Reload only IB representors upon lag disable/enable

EPSS 0.2%

Published 2024-06-19 (2 years ago) by the Linux kernel CNA. Subsystem drivers/net. Debian urgency: not yet assigned.

What to do, per Debian release

Debian's own status for CVE-2024-38557 in every release this site tracks, and what each one means in practice. Every status below is the one the Debian Security Team publishes for this CVE. source

ReleaseStatus VersionWhat this means
Debian 12bookwormvulnerable6.1.190-1No fix published anywhere yet, neither in Debian nor upstream for the series bookworm tracks. Watch the Debian tracker page for this CVE. Advisories for bookworm have historically landed a median of 23 days after publication.
Debian 13trixiefixed6.8.12-1Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 6.8.12-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts.
Debian 14forkyfixed6.8.12-1Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 6.8.12-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts.
Debian unstablesidfixed6.8.12-1Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 6.8.12-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts.

The vulnerability

What the bug is

On lag disable, the bond IB device along with all of its representors are destroyed, and then the slaves' representors get reloaded. In case the slave IB representor load fails, the eswitch error flow unloads all representors, including ethernet representors, where the netdevs get detached and removed from lag bond. Such flow is inaccurate as the lag driver is not responsible for loading/unloading ethernet representors. Furthermore, the flow described above begins by holding lag lock to prevent bond changes during disable flow. However, when reaching the ethernet representors detachment from lag, the lag lock is required again, triggering the following deadlock: Call trace: __switch_to+0xf4/0x148 __schedule+0x2c8/0x7d0 schedule+0x50/0xe0 schedule_preempt_disabled+0x18/0x28 __mutex_lock.isra.13+0x2b8/0x570 __mutex_lock_slowpath+0x1c/0x28 mutex_lock+0x4c/0x68 mlx5_lag_remove_netdev+0x3c/0x1a0 [mlx5_core] mlx5e_uplink_rep_disable+0x70/0xa0 [mlx5_core] mlx5e_detach_netdev+0x6c/0xb0 [mlx5_core] mlx5e_netdev_change_profile+0x44/0x138 [mlx5_core] mlx5e_netdev_attach_nic_profile+0x28/0x38 [mlx5_core] mlx5e_vport_rep_unload+0x184/0x1b8 [mlx5_core] mlx5_esw_offloads_rep_load+0xd8/0xe0 [mlx5_core] mlx5_eswitch_reload_reps+0x74/0xd0 [mlx5_core] mlx5_disable_lag+0x130/0x138 [mlx5_core] mlx5_lag_disable_change+0x6c/0x70 [mlx5_core] // hold ldev->lock mlx5_devlink_eswitch_mode_set+0xc0/0x410 [mlx5_core] devlink_nl_cmd_eswitch_set_doit+0xdc/0x180 genl_family_rcv_msg_doit.isra.17+0xe8/0x138 genl_rcv_msg+0xe4/0x220 netlink_rcv_skb+0x44/0x108 genl_rcv+0x40/0x58 netlink_unicast+0x198/0x268 netlink_sendmsg+0x1d4/0x418 sock_sendmsg+0x54/0x60 __sys_sendto+0xf4/0x120 __arm64_sys_sendto+0x30/0x40 el0_svc_common+0x8c/0x120 do_el0_svc+0x30/0xa0 el0_svc+0x20/0x30 el0_sync_handler+0x90/0xb8 el0_sync+0x160/0x180 Thus, upon lag enable/disable, load and unload only the IB representors of the slaves preventing the deadlock mentioned above. While at it, refactor the mlx5_esw_offloads_rep_load() function to have a static helper method for its internal logic, in symmetry with the representor unload design.

Where it lives

The fix touches these files. If the subsystem is one you do not use, the practical exposure is lower, though the package is still the vulnerable one.

drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/eswitch.h
drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/eswitch_offloads.c
drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/lag/lag.c
drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/lag/mpesw.c

What this is
MELLANOX MLX5 core VPI driverMAINTAINERS section matched on drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/ · netdev@vger.kernel.org · Maintained
Kernel module
mlx5_core

Check it on the machine

grep -wE 'CONFIG_ETHERNET|CONFIG_MLX5_CORE|CONFIG_MLX5_ESWITCH|CONFIG_NET_VENDOR_MELLANOX' /boot/config-$(uname -r)

Reads the booted kernel's own configuration, on the machine and nowhere else. =y is built in, =m is a module, and an is not set line means the code is not there.

lsmod | grep -w mlx5_core

Prints a line if that module is loaded right now, and nothing if it is not. One that is not loaded can still be loaded later by anything that needs it.

Show whether Debian builds this, per release

Debian builds this, but not on every flavour. At least one release below builds the code on some of its kernel flavours and not on others, so the answer depends on the architecture and flavour installed.

  • bookwormMnot built on amd64/cloud-amd64, arm64/cloud-arm64
  • trixieMnot built on amd64/cloud-amd64, arm64/cloud-arm64, armel/rpi
  • forky, sidMnot built on amd64/cloud-amd64, arm64/cloud-arm64
M
a module where it is built at all; some flavours do not build it
Build switches
CONFIG_ETHERNET, CONFIG_MLX5_CORE, CONFIG_MLX5_ESWITCH, CONFIG_NET_VENDOR_MELLANOX
Reads as
all on means the file is compiled; any one off means it is not.

From the configuration Debian publishes for every kernel flavour it builds. It covers only the architectures Debian ships a linux-config package for, and nothing about a kernel you built yourself. Debian's own status above stays authoritative about the source package.MAINTAINERS kbuild Makefiles Debian linux-config packages

Signals

Published
2024-06-19 (2 years ago)source
CVSS
no vector published, unrated
Attack vector
not published
EPSS
0.18%, higher than 7.3% of all CVEssource
CISA KEV
not listedthe KEV catalogue
Debian urgency
not yet assignedsource
Subsystem
drivers/net

Upstream fixes

The versions the CNA records as introducing and fixing this, and the commit for each. source

IntroducedFixed inCommit
5.156.6.33e93fc8d959e5
5.156.8.12f03c714a0fdd
5.156.9.30f320f28f54b
5.156.100f06228d4a2d

Why the CNA scored it this way

The kernel CNA published no CVSS vector and no reasoning for CVE-2024-38557, which is why it is shown as unrated rather than given an invented score. 6,405 of the 20,413 CVEs here carry reasoning; this is not one of them.