CVE-2026-74523: qede: sync udp_tunnel ports outside qede_lock in the recovery path

Published Aug 15, 2026
·
Updated

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

qede: sync udptunnel ports outside qedelock in the recovery path

A TX timeout on a qede NIC that has VXLAN/GENEVE tunnel ports configured wedges the rtnetlink control plane of the whole machine:

NETDEV WATCHDOG: ens6f1 (qede): transmit queue 2 timed out 10226 ms [qedetxtimeout:586(ens6f1)]TX timeout on queue 2! [qederecoveryhandler:2665(ens6f0)]Starting a recovery process

The recovery path deadlocks on the driver's own mutex:

qedesptask rtnllock() mutexlock(&edev->qedelock) <- taken qederecoveryhandler qedeload udptunnelnicresetntf udptunnelnicdevicesync info->synctable == qedeudptunnelsync mutexlock(&edev->qedelock) <- same task: deadlock

The mutex is not recursive, so the kworker blocks on itself with rtnllock held, and neither lock is ever released. Every task that calls rtnllock() afterwards (ip, ovs-vswitchd, lldpad, IPv6 addrconf, sshd) blocks forever while the node still answers ping. In a vmcore from an affected production node rtnlmutex.owner decodes to the very kworker blocked at the innermost mutexlock() above.

Re-sync the tunnel ports from qedesptask() after the internal lock is dropped, still under rtnllock as the udptunnel API requires. This mirrors qedeopen(), which calls udptunnelnicresetntf() under rtnl without the internal lock.

qederecoveryhandler() now returns whether it has successfully reloaded an open device, and the caller re-syncs the ports only in that case. This keeps the old gating exactly: a device that was down or a failed recovery returns false, as those paths never reached the udptunnelnicresetntf() call before either.

This was the only user of the qedelock()/qedeunlock() helpers, so remove them.

Affected Software

1 affected component
The Linux Kernel Project Linux Kernel

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Configuration

    Apply the kernel/driver fix so that udp_tunnel tunnel ports are re-synced in the recovery path by qede_sp_task() after releasing the internal qede_lock (i.e., do not hold rtnl_lock while taking qede_lock). This prevents rtnetlink (rtnl_lock) from wedging due to a deadlock with the non-recursive qede_lock.

    qede NIC driver (qede) / udp tunnel ports qede recovery synchronization = Re-sync udp_tunnel tunnel ports from qede_sp_task() after internal lock

Event History

Aug 15, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·12:27 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·12:27 PM
Description
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-74523?

CVE-2026-74523 has a risk rating of 37, indicating a significant impact.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-74523?

To remediate CVE-2026-74523, it is recommended to update to the latest version of the Linux kernel where the vulnerability has been addressed.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2026-74523?

CVE-2026-74523 affects systems running the Linux kernel with configured VXLAN/GENEVE tunnel ports.

4

What are the potential consequences of CVE-2026-74523?

The vulnerability may cause a TX timeout on a qede NIC, leading to a wedged rtnetlink control plane on the entire machine.

5

When was CVE-2026-74523 published?

CVE-2026-74523 was published on August 15, 2026.

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