CVE-2026-68129: gve: fix Rx queue stall on alloc failure

Published Aug 10, 2026
·
Updated

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

gve: fix Rx queue stall on alloc failure

When the system is under extreme memory pressure, page allocations can fail during the Rx buffer refill loop. If the number of buffers posted to hardware falls below a critical low threshold and the refill loop exits due to allocation failures, the queue can stall:

1. The device drops incoming packets because there are no descriptors. 2. Since no packets are processed, no Rx completions are generated. 3. Because no completions occur, NAPI is never scheduled, preventing the refill loop from running again even after memory is freed.

This results in a permanent queue stall.

Resolve this by introducing a starvation recovery timer for each Rx queue. If the number of buffers posted to hardware falls below a critical low threshold, start a timer to periodically reschedule NAPI. Once NAPI runs and successfully refills the queue above the threshold, the timer is not rescheduled.

The threshold is set to 32 because a single maximum-sized Receive Segment Coalescing (RSC) packet can consume up to 19 descriptors in the Rx path. Lower thresholds (such as 8 or 16) would be insufficient to process a complete maximum-sized RSC packet, risking packet drops or unexpected hardware behavior under memory pressure. Setting the threshold to 32 guarantees a safe margin to handle at least one full RSC packet.

Affected Software

1 affected component
Linux Linux kernel

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade gve to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Patch gve: fix Rx queue stall on alloc failure
  2. Compensating control

    For gve, introduce a starvation recovery timer for each Rx queue so that when the number of buffers posted to hardware falls below a critical low threshold, NAPI is periodically rescheduled and the Rx buffer refill loop resumes after memory is freed.

Event History

Aug 10, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·11:58 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·11:58 AM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·01:19 PM
Description
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-68129?

CVE-2026-68129 has a risk rating of 23, indicating a moderate level of vulnerability severity.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-68129?

To fix CVE-2026-68129, ensure that your Linux kernel is updated to the latest stable version where the vulnerability has been patched.

3

What types of systems are affected by CVE-2026-68129?

CVE-2026-68129 affects systems running the affected versions of the Linux kernel, particularly under extreme memory pressure.

4

What impact does CVE-2026-68129 have on system performance?

CVE-2026-68129 can lead to stalled RX queues during buffer allocation failures, potentially degrading network performance.

5

Is CVE-2026-68129 considered critical?

CVE-2026-68129 is not classified as critical but poses significant risk under specific conditions, affecting reliability.

Contact

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