CVE-2023-54201
Unknown Unknown - Not Provided

Reference Count Underflow in Linux Kernel RDMA EFA Component

Publication date: 2025-12-30

Last updated on: 2025-12-30

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: RDMA/efa: Fix wrong resources deallocation order When trying to destroy QP or CQ, we first decrease the refcount and potentially free memory regions allocated for the object and then request the device to destroy the object. If the device fails, the object isn't fully destroyed so the user/IB core can try to destroy the object again which will lead to underflow when trying to decrease an already zeroed refcount. Deallocate resources in reverse order of allocating them to safely free them.

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Meta Information

Published
2025-12-30
Last Modified
2025-12-30
Generated
2026-07-06
AI Q&A
2025-12-30
EPSS Evaluated
2026-07-05
NVD
CVE-2023-54201
EUVD
EUVD-2023-60440

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel *

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Exploitability

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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability occurs in the Linux kernel's RDMA/efa component where the order of resource deallocation is incorrect. When destroying a Queue Pair (QP) or Completion Queue (CQ), the system first decreases the reference count and potentially frees memory regions before requesting the device to destroy the object. If the device fails to destroy the object, the object remains partially intact, allowing repeated destruction attempts that cause the reference count to underflow (go below zero). The fix involves deallocating resources in the reverse order of allocation to safely free them.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can lead to a reference count underflow, which may cause memory corruption or instability in the system. Such issues could potentially be exploited to cause crashes or unexpected behavior in the kernel, affecting system reliability and security.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the Linux kernel to a version where the RDMA/efa resource deallocation order issue is fixed. This will ensure that resources are deallocated safely and prevent refcount underflow errors when destroying QP or CQ objects.

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