CVE-2026-72046: gve: fix header buffer corruption with header-split and HW-GRO
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
gve: fix header buffer corruption with header-split and HW-GRO
The DQO RX datapath programs a per-buffer-queue-descriptor headerbufaddr at post time and reads the split header back at completion time. Both the post and the read currently index the header buffer by queue position rather than by the buffer's identity:
- post (gverxpostbuffersdqo): headerbufaddr is computed from bufq->tail - read (gverxdqo): the header is read from descidx (the completion queue head index)
This relies on the buffer-queue index and the completion-queue index being equal for the start of every packet, i.e. on the device consuming posted buffers and returning completions in the exact same order. That assumption does not hold once HW-GRO is enabled with multiple flows: coalesced segments are accepted and completed in an order that may differ from the order buffers were posted, and segments from different flows may interleave.
That results in two problems:
1. Wrong header slot on read. Because the read offset is derived from the completion index (descidx) while the device wrote the header to the address programmed for the buffer's bufid, the driver can copy a header belonging to a different packet. This shows up as throughput drop (about 30% drop and large numbers of TCP retransmissions) with header-split and HW-GRO both enabled and many streams.
2. Header buffer reused while still owned by the device. The driver advances bufq->head by one per completion and re-posts buffers based on that. Arrival of N RX completions only guarantees that at least N RX buffer descriptors have been read by the device. It does not guarantee that the device has relinquished the ownership of all the buffers corresponding to those N descriptors. With out-of-order completions (e.g. the completion for a packet copied into buffer N arrives before the completion for a packet copied into buffer N-1), the driver can re-post and overwrite a header buffer that the device is still going to write into, corrupting the header of a packet whose completion has not yet been processed.
Fix both issues by indexing the header buffer by bufid on both the post and read paths. Reading from bufid's slot is therefore always correct regardless of completion ordering (fixes problem 1).
Indexing by bufid also ties each header slot to the lifetime of its buffer state. A buffer state is only returned to the free/recycle lists when its own completion (bufid) is processed, so its header slot can only be re-posted after the device is done with it. This makes header slot reuse safe under out-of-order completions (fixes problem 2).
Allocate (gverxallochdrbufs) and free (gverxfreehdrbufs) the header buffers based on numbufstates to match the bufid indexing.
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-72046?
The severity of CVE-2026-72046 is rated at risk level 37.
How do I fix CVE-2026-72046?
To fix CVE-2026-72046, update to the patched version of the Linux kernel that resolves this header buffer corruption issue.
What impact does CVE-2026-72046 have on the Linux kernel?
CVE-2026-72046 can cause header buffer corruption in the DQO RX datapath, potentially leading to data integrity issues.
Is CVE-2026-72046 specific to any Linux kernel version?
CVE-2026-72046 affects certain versions of the Linux kernel and requires an update to the latest stable release.
When was CVE-2026-72046 published?
CVE-2026-72046 was published on August 15, 2026.