CVE-2026-23441
Received Received - Intake
Race Condition in Linux mlx5e IPSec Driver Causes Data Corruption

Publication date: 2026-04-03

Last updated on: 2026-04-23

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5e: Prevent concurrent access to IPSec ASO context The query or updating IPSec offload object is through Access ASO WQE. The driver uses a single mlx5e_ipsec_aso struct for each PF, which contains a shared DMA-mapped context for all ASO operations. A race condition exists because the ASO spinlock is released before the hardware has finished processing WQE. If a second operation is initiated immediately after, it overwrites the shared context in the DMA area. When the first operation's completion is processed later, it reads this corrupted context, leading to unexpected behavior and incorrect results. This commit fixes the race by introducing a private context within each IPSec offload object. The shared ASO context is now copied to this private context while the ASO spinlock is held. Subsequent processing uses this saved, per-object context, ensuring its integrity is maintained.
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Meta Information
Published
2026-04-03
Last Modified
2026-04-23
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2026-04-03
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-15
NVD
CVE-2026-23441
EUVD
EUVD-2026-18682
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 12 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel 6.2
linux linux_kernel 7.0
linux linux_kernel 7.0
linux linux_kernel 7.0
linux linux_kernel 7.0
linux linux_kernel 7.0
linux linux_kernel 7.0
linux linux_kernel 7.0
linux linux_kernel From 6.2.1 (inc) to 6.6.130 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.7 (inc) to 6.12.78 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.13 (inc) to 6.18.20 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.19 (inc) to 6.19.10 (exc)
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Exploitability
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-362 The product contains a concurrent code sequence that requires temporary, exclusive access to a shared resource, but a timing window exists in which the shared resource can be modified by another code sequence operating concurrently.
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Executive Summary

This vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's mlx5e driver related to IPSec offload operations. The driver uses a shared context for all IPSec offload operations, but a race condition occurs because the spinlock protecting this context is released before the hardware finishes processing a work queue element (WQE). If a second operation starts immediately after, it overwrites the shared context, causing the first operation to later read corrupted data. This leads to unexpected behavior and incorrect results.

The fix involves creating a private context for each IPSec offload object. The shared context is copied to this private context while the spinlock is held, ensuring that subsequent processing uses an uncorrupted, per-object context and maintains data integrity.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can cause unexpected behavior and incorrect results in IPSec offload operations within the Linux kernel. Because the shared context can be corrupted due to a race condition, network security functions relying on IPSec offload may malfunction, potentially leading to degraded security or network communication issues.

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