CVE-2026-43465: net/mlx5e: RX, Fix XDP multi-buf frag counting for striding RQ

Published May 8, 2026
·
Updated

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net/mlx5e: RX, Fix XDP multi-buf frag counting for striding RQ

XDP multi-buf programs can modify the layout of the XDP buffer when the program calls bpfxdppulldata() or bpfxdpadjusttail(). The referenced commit in the fixes tag corrected the assumption in the mlx5 driver that the XDP buffer layout doesn't change during a program execution. However, this fix introduced another issue: the dropped fragments still need to be counted on the driver side to avoid page fragment reference counting issues.

The issue was discovered by the drivers/net/xdp.py selftest, more specifically the testxdpnativetxmb: - The mlx5 driver allocates a pagepool page and initializes it with a frag counter of 64 (pprefcount=64) and the internal frag counter to 0. - The test sends one packet with no payload. - On RX (mlx5eskbfromcqempwrqnonlinear()), mlx5 configures the XDP buffer with the packet data starting in the first fragment which is the page mentioned above. - The XDP program runs and calls bpfxdppulldata() which moves the header into the linear part of the XDP buffer. As the packet doesn't contain more data, the program drops the tail fragment since it no longer contains any payload (pprefcount=63). - mlx5 device skips counting this fragment. Internal frag counter remains 0. - mlx5 releases all 64 fragments of the page but page pprefcount is 63 => negative reference counting error.

Resulting splat during the test:

WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 188225 at ./include/net/pagepool/helpers.h:297 mlx5epagereleasefragmented.isra.0+0xbd/0xe0 [mlx5core] Modules linked in: [...] CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 188225 Comm: ip Not tainted 6.18.0-rc7forupstreammindebug202512081144 #1 NONE Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.13.0-0-gf21b5a4aeb02-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:mlx5epagereleasefragmented.isra.0+0xbd/0xe0 [mlx5core] [...] Call Trace: <TASK> mlx5efreerxmpwqe+0x20a/0x250 [mlx5core] mlx5edeallocrxmpwqe+0x37/0xb0 [mlx5core] mlx5efreerxdescs+0x11a/0x170 [mlx5core] mlx5ecloserq+0x78/0xa0 [mlx5core] mlx5eclosequeues+0x46/0x2a0 [mlx5core] mlx5eclosechannel+0x24/0x90 [mlx5core] mlx5eclosechannels+0x5d/0xf0 [mlx5core] mlx5esafeswitchparams+0x2ec/0x380 [mlx5core] mlx5echangemtu+0x11d/0x490 [mlx5core] mlx5echangenicmtu+0x19/0x30 [mlx5core] netifsetmtuext+0xfc/0x240 dosetlink.isra.0+0x226/0x1100 rtnlnewlink+0x7a9/0xba0 rtnetlinkrcvmsg+0x220/0x3c0 netlinkrcvskb+0x4b/0xf0 netlinkunicast+0x255/0x380 netlinksendmsg+0x1f3/0x420 socksendmsg+0x38/0x60 syssendmsg+0x1e8/0x240 syssendmsg+0x7c/0xb0 [...] syssendmsg+0x5f/0xb0 dosyscall64+0x55/0xc70

The problem applies for XDPPASS as well which is handled in a different code path in the driver.

This patch fixes the issue by doing page frag counting on all the original XDP buffer fragments for all relevant XDP actions (XDPTX , XDPREDIRECT and XDPPASS). This is basically reverting to the original counting before the commit in the fixes tag.

As fragpage is still pointing to the original tail, the nrfrags parameter to xdpupdateskbfragsinfo() needs to be calculated in a different way to reflect the new nrfrags.

Affected Software

15 affected components
The Linux Foundation Linux Kernel
Linux Linux kernel>=6.6.115<6.7
Linux Linux kernel>=6.12.56<6.13
Linux Linux kernel>=6.17.6<6.18
Linux Linux kernel>=6.18.1<6.18.19
Linux Linux kernel>=6.19<6.19.9
Linux Linux kernel=6.18
Linux Linux kernel=6.18-rc3
Linux Linux kernel=6.18-rc4
Linux Linux kernel=6.18-rc5
Linux Linux kernel=6.18-rc6
Linux Linux kernel=6.18-rc7
Linux Linux kernel=7.0-rc1
Linux Linux kernel=7.0-rc2
Linux Linux kernel=7.0-rc3

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Patch Internal frag counter

Event History

May 8, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·02:22 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·02:22 PM
DescriptionSeverity
Data Sourced
via NVD·03:16 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-43465?

CVE-2026-43465 is classified as a medium severity vulnerability in the Linux kernel.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-43465?

To fix CVE-2026-43465, you should update to the latest patch of the Linux kernel that addresses this vulnerability.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2026-43465?

CVE-2026-43465 affects the Linux kernel, particularly systems utilizing net/mlx5e with XDP multi-buf programs.

4

What is the impact of CVE-2026-43465?

The impact of CVE-2026-43465 can include potential disruption in packet handling due to improper fragment counting.

5

When was CVE-2026-43465 disclosed?

CVE-2026-43465 was disclosed as a vulnerability in the Linux kernel, with fixes made available in recent updates.

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