RDMA/hfi1: Prevent panic when SDMA is disabled
Summary
GSD-2022-1003750: RDMA/hfi1: Prevent panic when SDMA is disabled. Affects Kernel versions < e60ad83f645ee6fadd5a8057ba267aeec54f08fe. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The RDMA/hfi1 package is a component of the Linux Kernel that provides support for InfiniBand and RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) networking. It enables high-speed, low-latency communication between servers and storage systems. The hfi1 driver is responsible for managing the Mellanox InfiniBand Host Channel Adapter (HCA) hardware. SDMA (Synchronous Direct Memory Access) is a feature of the hfi1 driver that allows for efficient data transfers between the host and the HCA. However, when SDMA is disabled, a vulnerability exists that can lead to a system panic.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the RDMA/hfi1 package occurs when SDMA is disabled. In this scenario, certain operations within the driver can trigger a panic, resulting in a system crash. An attacker could potentially exploit this vulnerability to cause a denial-of-service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability has been addressed in Linux Kernel version v5.4.198 by commit e60ad83f645ee6fadd5a8057ba267aeec54f08fe.
How To Fix
No fixed version is published for this vulnerability.
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Workaround
As a workaround, users can enable SDMA in the hfi1 driver to avoid triggering the vulnerability. This can be done by modifying the driver configuration or kernel parameters to enable SDMA support. However, it is strongly recommended to apply the official fix by updating the Linux Kernel to the patched version.
Conclusion
The vulnerability in the RDMA/hfi1 package that causes a panic when SDMA is disabled has been addressed in Linux Kernel version v5.4.198. Users are advised to update their kernel to this version or apply the specific commit to mitigate the vulnerability. For further support on vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.
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FAQ
RDMA/hfi1 is a component of the Linux Kernel that provides support for InfiniBand and RoCE networking. It enables high-speed, low-latency communication between servers and storage systems.
SDMA (Synchronous Direct Memory Access) is a feature of the hfi1 driver that allows for efficient data transfers between the host and the Mellanox InfiniBand Host Channel Adapter (HCA) hardware.
The vulnerability can lead to a system panic and subsequent crash when SDMA is disabled. This can result in a denial-of-service (DoS) condition.
To fix this vulnerability, update the Linux Kernel to version v5.4.198 or later. Alternatively, apply the specific commit (e60ad83f645ee6fadd5a8057ba267aeec54f08fe) to the existing kernel source code and rebuild the kernel.
Yes, a workaround is to enable SDMA in the hfi1 driver by modifying the driver configuration or kernel parameters. However, it is recommended to apply the official fix by updating the Linux Kernel.
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