Bug 2383492 (CVE-2025-38440)

Summary: CVE-2025-38440 kernel: net/mlx5e: Fix race between DIM disable and net_dim()
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security DevOps Team <prodsec-dev>
Status: NEW --- QA Contact:
Severity: medium Docs Contact:
Priority: medium    
Version: unspecifiedKeywords: Security
Target Milestone: ---   
Target Release: ---   
Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
Whiteboard:
Fixed In Version: Doc Type: ---
Doc Text:
Story Points: ---
Clone Of: Environment:
Last Closed: Type: ---
Regression: --- Mount Type: ---
Documentation: --- CRM:
Verified Versions: Category: ---
oVirt Team: --- RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
Cloudforms Team: --- Target Upstream Version:
Embargoed:

Description OSIDB Bzimport 2025-07-25 16:02:19 UTC
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net/mlx5e: Fix race between DIM disable and net_dim()

There's a race between disabling DIM and NAPI callbacks using the dim
pointer on the RQ or SQ.

If NAPI checks the DIM state bit and sees it still set, it assumes
`rq->dim` or `sq->dim` is valid. But if DIM gets disabled right after
that check, the pointer might already be set to NULL, leading to a NULL
pointer dereference in net_dim().

Fix this by calling `synchronize_net()` before freeing the DIM context.
This ensures all in-progress NAPI callbacks are finished before the
pointer is cleared.

Kernel log:

BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000
...
RIP: 0010:net_dim+0x23/0x190
...
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 ? __die+0x20/0x60
 ? page_fault_oops+0x150/0x3e0
 ? common_interrupt+0xf/0xa0
 ? sysvec_call_function_single+0xb/0x90
 ? exc_page_fault+0x74/0x130
 ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x22/0x30
 ? net_dim+0x23/0x190
 ? mlx5e_poll_ico_cq+0x41/0x6f0 [mlx5_core]
 ? sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0xb/0x90
 mlx5e_handle_rx_dim+0x92/0xd0 [mlx5_core]
 mlx5e_napi_poll+0x2cd/0xac0 [mlx5_core]
 ? mlx5e_poll_ico_cq+0xe5/0x6f0 [mlx5_core]
 busy_poll_stop+0xa2/0x200
 ? mlx5e_napi_poll+0x1d9/0xac0 [mlx5_core]
 ? mlx5e_trigger_irq+0x130/0x130 [mlx5_core]
 __napi_busy_loop+0x345/0x3b0
 ? sysvec_call_function_single+0xb/0x90
 ? asm_sysvec_call_function_single+0x16/0x20
 ? sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0xb/0x90
 ? pcpu_free_area+0x1e4/0x2e0
 napi_busy_loop+0x11/0x20
 xsk_recvmsg+0x10c/0x130
 sock_recvmsg+0x44/0x70
 __sys_recvfrom+0xbc/0x130
 ? __schedule+0x398/0x890
 __x64_sys_recvfrom+0x20/0x30
 do_syscall_64+0x4c/0x100
 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53
...
---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]---
...
---[ end Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception in interrupt ]---