CVE-2024-43864: net/mlx5e: Fix CT entry update leaks of modify header context

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2024-43864 is a critical (CVSS 9.8) Use After Free vulnerability in linux. EPSS estimates a 0.47% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 40.3% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 20-08-2024
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 05-08-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5e: Fix CT entry update leaks of modify header context The cited commit allocates a new modify header to replace the old one when updating CT entry. But if failed to allocate a new one, eg. exceed the max number firmware can support, modify header will be an error pointer that will trigger a panic when deallocating it. And the old modify header point is copied to old attr. When the old attr is freed, the old modify header is lost. Fix it by restoring the old attr to attr when failed to allocate a new modify header context. So when the CT entry is freed, the right modify header context will be freed. And the panic of accessing error pointer is also fixed.

• CWE-416Use After FreeThe product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.