CVE-2026-99078

net/mlx5e: Prevent stale XSK buffer release on MPWQE refill retry

Published Oct 23, 2026 CVSS 3.1 · 9.8 Critical EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net/mlx5e: Prevent stale XSK buffer release on MPWQE refill retry

With AF_XDP on a striding RQ, mlx5e defers releasing XSK buffers until
an MPWQE is refilled. If XSK allocation then returns -ENOMEM,
actual_wq_head is not advanced and a later NAPI poll retries the same
WQE.

mlx5e_free_rx_mpwqe() leaves each released slot marked as releasable. On
retry it can therefore call xsk_buff_free() again through stale pointers
after the frames have returned to the XSK pool and been reallocated.

Set all skip_release_bitmap bits in the common error path of
mlx5e_xsk_alloc_rx_mpwqe(). This matches mlx5e_alloc_rx_mpwqe(). A
successful allocation already clears the bitmap after replacing every
buffer, so retries become idempotent without changing the success path.

Fault injection forced three consecutive failures for one selected MPWQE.
Both an early allocation failure and a partial 8-of-16-buffer unwind
released the original 16 XSK buffers only once. Each error left a full
bitmap, the following NAPI retry skipped the release, and a later
successful allocation cleared it. A 20-second AF_XDP zero-copy pressure
run exercised 1,575,262 buffer allocation failures without invalid
descriptors, WQE errors, or kernel warnings.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

Source ID Title
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9018-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9018-2 Linux kernel (HWE) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9019-1 Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9020-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9022-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9023-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9024-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9025-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9026-1 Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9039-1 Linux kernel (Azure CVM) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9040-1 Linux kernel (Low Latency NVIDIA) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9066-1 Linux kernel (HWE) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9091-1 Linux kernel (NVIDIA Tegra) vulnerabilities
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-415
CWE-416
Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 9.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Linux linux
Vendors & Products Linux linux
Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-415
CWE-416
Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5e: Prevent stale XSK buffer release on MPWQE refill retry With AF_XDP on a striding RQ, mlx5e defers releasing XSK buffers until an MPWQE is refilled. If XSK allocation then returns -ENOMEM, actual_wq_head is not advanced and a later NAPI poll retries the same WQE. mlx5e_free_rx_mpwqe() leaves each released slot marked as releasable. On retry it can therefore call xsk_buff_free() again through stale pointers after the frames have returned to the XSK pool and been reallocated. Set all skip_release_bitmap bits in the common error path of mlx5e_xsk_alloc_rx_mpwqe(). This matches mlx5e_alloc_rx_mpwqe(). A successful allocation already clears the bitmap after replacing every buffer, so retries become idempotent without changing the success path. Fault injection forced three consecutive failures for one selected MPWQE. Both an early allocation failure and a partial 8-of-16-buffer unwind released the original 16 XSK buffers only once. Each error left a full bitmap, the following NAPI retry skipped the release, and a later successful allocation cleared it. A 20-second AF_XDP zero-copy pressure run exercised 1,575,262 buffer allocation failures without invalid descriptors, WQE errors, or kernel warnings.
Title net/mlx5e: Prevent stale XSK buffer release on MPWQE refill retry
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
References
Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
Linux
Published
Updated
Oct 24, 2026, 2:10 PM
Reserved
Sep 25, 2026, 10:25 AM
Status
Received
Published
Oct 23, 2026, 1:17 PM
Modified
Oct 24, 2026, 2:16 PM
Severity
Moderate
Public date
Oct 23, 2026, 12:23 PM