Use-after-free vulnerability in net/mlx4_en

Kernel Updated 02 Oct 2025

Summary

19/12/2021

Disclosed on

N/A

Severity

No i

Fix available

Unrated

Severity

Not published

CVSS Score

GSD-2021-1002493: net/mlx4_en: Fix an use-after-free bug in mlx4_en_try_alloc_resources(). Affects Kernel versions >= ec25bc04ed8e12947738468cbe2191f1529f9e39, < f1d43efa59f1edd3e7eca0e94559b4c6b1cd4e2b. No fix is published. How to fix ↓

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Background

The net/mlx4_en package is a network driver for Mellanox ConnectX-3 and ConnectX-3 Pro Ethernet adapters. It provides support for Mellanox Technologies' 10/40 Gigabit Ethernet adapters, allowing communication between the Linux kernel and the network hardware. This package is an integral part of the Linux Kernel ecosystem.

Vulnerability Detail

The vulnerability identified as GSD-2021-1002493 is a use-after-free bug in the mlx4_en_try_alloc_resources() function of the net/mlx4_en package. This bug was introduced in version v4.7 of the Linux Kernel and was fixed in version v5.10.84. The use-after-free bug occurs when the mlx4_en_try_alloc_resources() function attempts to allocate resources but fails to properly handle the deallocation of resources in case of failure. This can lead to a situation where the driver continues to reference freed memory, potentially resulting in a crash or arbitrary code execution.

How To Fix

No fixed version is published for this vulnerability.

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Conclusion

The use-after-free vulnerability in net/mlx4_en can have serious security implications, potentially leading to crashes or arbitrary code execution. It is crucial to update the Linux Kernel to the fixed version v5.10.84 or later to mitigate this vulnerability. For further support on vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.

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FAQ

What is the impact of this vulnerability?

The use-after-free vulnerability in mlx4_en_try_alloc_resources() can potentially lead to a crash or arbitrary code execution. An attacker may be able to exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access, escalate privileges, or cause denial-of-service.