high CVSS 7.8

CVE-2023-52851·Kernel vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: IB/mlx5: Fix init stage error handling to avoid double free of same QP and UAF In the unlikely event that workqueue allocation fails and returns NULL in mlx5_mkey_cache_init(), delete the call to mlx5r_umr_resource_cleanup() (which frees the QP) in mlx5_ib_stage_post_ib_reg_umr_init(). This will avoid attempted double free of the same QP when __mlx5_ib_add() does its cleanup. Resolves a splat: Syzkaller reported a UAF in ib_destroy_qp_user workqueue: Failed to create a rescuer kthread for wq "mkey_cache": -EINTR infiniband mlx5_0: mlx5_mkey_cache_init:981:(pid 1642): failed to create work queue infiniband mlx5_0: mlx5_ib_stage_post_ib_reg_umr_init:4075:(pid 1642): mr cache init failed -12 ================================================================== BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in ib_destroy_qp_user (drivers/infiniband/core/verbs.c:2073) Read of size 8 at addr ffff88810da310a8 by task repro_upstream/1642 Call Trace: <TASK> kasan_report (mm/kasan/report.c:590) ib_destroy_qp_user (drivers/infiniband/core/verbs.c:2073) mlx5r_umr_resource_cleanup (drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/umr.c:198) __mlx5_ib_add (drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/main.c:4178) mlx5r_probe (drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/main.c:4402) ... </TASK> Allocated by task 1642: __kmalloc (./include/linux/kasan.h:198 mm/slab_common.c:1026 mm/slab_common.c:1039) create_qp (./include/linux/slab.h:603 ./include/linux/slab.h:720 ./include/rdma/ib_verbs.h:2795 drivers/infiniband/core/verbs.c:1209) ib_create_qp_kernel (drivers/infiniband/core/verbs.c:1347) mlx5r_umr_resource_init (drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/umr.c:164) mlx5_ib_stage_post_ib_reg_umr_init (drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/main.c:4070) __mlx5_ib_add (drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/main.c:4168) mlx5r_probe (drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/main.c:4402) ... Freed by task 1642: __kmem_cache_free (mm/slub.c:1826 mm/slub.c:3809 mm/slub.c:3822) ib_destroy_qp_user (drivers/infiniband/core/verbs.c:2112) mlx5r_umr_resource_cleanup (drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/umr.c:198) mlx5_ib_stage_post_ib_reg_umr_init (drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/main.c:4076 drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/main.c:4065) __mlx5_ib_add (drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/main.c:4168) mlx5r_probe (drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/main.c:4402) ...

Severity
high
Software
Kernel
Fixed in
6.6.2
Published
2024-05-21

Affected versions

From: 6.6

Until: 6.6.2

Fixed in: 6.6.2

How to fix this CVE

Update the Linux kernel to version 6.6.2 or later to fix a double-free vulnerability in the MLX5 InfiniBand driver's QP (Queue Pair) initialization. This flaw occurs when workqueue allocation fails during mkey cache initialization, causing the kernel to attempt freeing the same QP twice during error handling. Affected systems running kernel versions 6.6 through 6.6.1 should prioritize this update immediately.

sudo dnf update kernel kernel-devel

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Step 1: Check your kernel version with `uname -r` and compare against 6.6.2 — vulnerable versions are 6.6, 6.6.1
  2. Step 2: Verify MLX5 InfiniBand driver is loaded by running `lsmod | grep mlx5` — if present, your system uses the affected code path
  3. Step 3: Search system logs for mkey_cache initialization failures with `grep -i 'mlx5_mkey_cache_init\|failed to create work queue' /var/log/kern.log /var/log/syslog` — these indicate exposure to the bug trigger
  4. Step 4: After patching, confirm the new kernel version with `uname -r` to ensure 6.6.2 or higher is running

FAQ

What is CVE-2023-52851?

CVE-2023-52851 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's MLX5 InfiniBand driver where a failed workqueue allocation during initialization causes the kernel to free the same Queue Pair twice, corrupting memory and triggering a kernel crash.

Is CVE-2023-52851 being actively exploited?

No, CVE-2023-52851 is not listed as actively exploited by CISA and has no known public exploits. It is primarily a stability issue triggered by resource exhaustion.

What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2023-52851?

Linux kernel versions 6.6, 6.6.1, and 6.6.2 (before the fix). All systems running 6.6.0 through 6.6.1 are vulnerable; the fix is included starting with 6.6.2.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2023-52851?

Run `uname -r` to see your kernel version. If it shows 6.6.0 or 6.6.1 and `lsmod | grep mlx5` shows the driver is loaded, your system is vulnerable. Run a full system update to patch.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2023-52851?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If the Linux kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2023-52851 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

Related Kernel CVEs

CVE-2026-63994CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tunnels: load network headers after skb_cow() in iptunnel_pmtud_build_icmp[v6]() Sashiko found that iptunnel_pmtud_build_icmp() and iptunnel_pmtud_build_icmpv6() were caching ip_hdr() and ipv6_hdr() before an skb_cow() call which can reallocate skb->head. Fix this possible UAF by initializing the local variables after the skb_cow() call. Remove skb_reset_network_header() calls which were not needed.
CVE-2026-64025CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf, skmsg: fix verdict sk_data_ready racing with ktls rx sk_psock_strp_data_ready() already checks tls_sw_has_ctx_rx() and defers to psock->saved_data_ready when a TLS RX context is present, avoiding a conflict with the TLS strparser's ownership of the receive queue (commit e91de6afa81c, "bpf: Fix running sk_skb program types with ktls"). sk_psock_verdict_data_ready() has no equivalent guard. When a socket is inserted into a sockmap (BPF_SK_SKB_VERDICT) before TLS RX is configured, tls_sw_strparser_arm() saves sk_psock_verdict_data_ready as rx_ctx->saved_data_ready. On data arrival: tls_data_ready -> tls_strp_data_ready -> tls_rx_msg_ready -> saved_data_ready() = sk_psock_verdict_data_ready() -> tcp_read_skb() drains sk_receive_queue via __skb_unlink() without calling tcp_eat_skb(), so copied_seq is not advanced. tls_strp_msg_load() then finds tcp_inq() >= full_len (stale), calls tcp_recv_skb() on the now-empty queue, hits WARN_ON_ONCE(!first), and returns with rx_ctx->strp.anchor.frag_list pointing at a psock-owned (potentially freed) skb. tls_decrypt_sg() subsequently walks that frag_list: use-after-free. Apply the same fix as sk_psock_strp_data_ready(): if a TLS RX context is present, call psock->saved_data_ready (sock_def_readable) to wake recv() waiters and return immediately, leaving the receive queue untouched. TLS retains sole ownership of the queue and decrypts the record normally through tls_sw_recvmsg().
CVE-2026-100075CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: RDMA/srpt: Fix srpt_alloc_rw_ctxs() unwind counters When srpt_alloc_rw_ctxs() fails partway through a multi-buffer indirect descriptor, the unwind path destroys RDMA contexts but leaves stale n_rw_ctx and n_rdma values (and a dangling rw_ctxs pointer). Later sq_wr_avail accounting in srpt_queue_response() or srpt_write_pending() can then subtract the wrong number of send queue credits. Reset the counters and clear rw_ctxs after freeing the heap allocation before returning an error.
CVE-2026-64000CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: hsr: fix potential OOB access in supervision frame handling Ensure the entire TLV header is linearized before access by adding sizeof(struct hsr_sup_tlv) to the pskb_may_pull() calls. Without this, a truncated frame could cause an out-of-bounds access.
CVE-2026-64439CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: krb5 - filter out async aead implementations at alloc krb5_aead_encrypt(), krb5_aead_decrypt() in rfc3961_simplified.c and rfc8009_encrypt(), rfc8009_decrypt() in rfc8009_aes2.c set a NULL completion callback and treat any negative return from crypto_aead_{encrypt,decrypt}() as terminal, falling through to kfree_sensitive(buffer). When the encrypt_name resolves to an async AEAD instance the request returns -EINPROGRESS, the buffer is freed while the backend's worker still holds a pointer, and the worker dereferences the freed slab on completion. KASAN report under UML+SLUB with a synthetic async aead backend bound to krb5->encrypt_name: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in t5_stub_complete+0x7d/0xc7 The helpers were written synchronously, so filter the async instances out at allocation time instead of plumbing crypto_wait_req() through every call site. Reachable via net/rxrpc/rxgk.c, fs/afs/cm_security.c and net/ceph/crypto.c on systems with an async AEAD provider bound to the krb5 enctype name.

References

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