Executive brief
A bug in the Linux kernel's Mellanox network driver (mlx5e) can cause incorrect cleanup of network encapsulation configurations, leading to kernel warnings and potential system instability. This affects systems using Mellanox network adapters for high-speed networking, potentially impacting service availability on affected hosts.
Technical details
The vulnerability exists in the net/mlx5e driver's encapsulation attribute handling during traffic control rule invalidation. The mlx5e_invalidate_encap() function fails to use the correct encapsulation attribute (obtained via mlx5e_tc_get_encap_attr() helper) when destroying modify header actions, contrary to fixes applied elsewhere in the post action infrastructure. This causes the driver to attempt cleanup on the wrong attribute, resulting in a kernel warning in mlx5e_tc_attach_mod_hdr. The flaw is triggered during FIB (routing) event processing on systems with encapsulated traffic flows, and requires no external authentication or user interaction.
Affected products
- Linux Linux Kernel <UNKNOWN>
Timeline
- 2025-12-24: disclosed