CVE-2022-50726
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net/mlx5: Fix possible use-after-free in async command interface
mlx5_cmd_cleanup_async_ctx should return only after all its callback handlers were completed. Before this patch, the below race between mlx5_cmd_cleanup_async_ctx and mlx5_cmd_exec_cb_handler was possible and lead to a use-after-free:
1. mlx5_cmd_cleanup_async_ctx is called while num_inflight is 2 (i.e. elevated by 1, a single inflight callback). 2. mlx5_cmd_cleanup_async_ctx decreases num_inflight to 1. 3. mlx5_cmd_exec_cb_handler is called, decreases num_inflight to 0 and is about to call wake_up(). 4. mlx5_cmd_cleanup_async_ctx calls wait_event, which returns immediately as the condition (num_inflight == 0) holds. 5. mlx5_cmd_cleanup_async_ctx returns. 6. The caller of mlx5_cmd_cleanup_async_ctx frees the mlx5_async_ctx object. 7. mlx5_cmd_exec_cb_handler goes on and calls wake_up() on the freed object.
Fix it by syncing using a completion object. Mark it completed when num_inflight reaches 0.
Trace:
BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in do_raw_spin_lock+0x23d/0x270 Read of size 4 at addr ffff888139cd12f4 by task swapper/5/0
CPU: 5 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/5 Not tainted 6.0.0-rc3_for_upstream_debug_2022_08_30_13_10 #1 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.13.0-0-gf21b5a4aeb02-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 Call Trace:
dump_stack_lvl+0x57/0x7d print_report.cold+0x2d5/0x684 ? do_raw_spin_lock+0x23d/0x270 kasan_report+0xb1/0x1a0 ? do_raw_spin_lock+0x23d/0x270 do_raw_spin_lock+0x23d/0x270 ? rwlock_bug.part.0+0x90/0x90 ? __delete_object+0xb8/0x100 ? lock_downgrade+0x6e0/0x6e0 _raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0x43/0x60 ? __wake_up_common_lock+0xb9/0x140 __wake_up_common_lock+0xb9/0x140 ? __wake_up_common+0x650/0x650 ? destroy_tis_callback+0x53/0x70 [mlx5_core] ? kasan_set_track+0x21/0x30 ? destroy_tis_callback+0x53/0x70 [mlx5_core] ? kfree+0x1ba/0x520 ? do_raw_spin_unlock+0x54/0x220 mlx5_cmd_exec_cb_handler+0x136/0x1a0 [mlx5_core] ? mlx5_cmd_cleanup_async_ctx+0x220/0x220 [mlx5_core] ? mlx5_cmd_cleanup_async_ctx+0x220/0x220 [mlx5_core] mlx5_cmd_comp_handler+0x65a/0x12b0 [mlx5_core] ? dump_command+0xcc0/0xcc0 [mlx5_core] ? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0x400/0x400 ? cmd_comp_notifier+0x7e/0xb0 [mlx5_core] cmd_comp_notifier+0x7e/0xb0 [mlx5_core] atomic_notifier_call_chain+0xd7/0x1d0 mlx5_eq_async_int+0x3ce/0xa20 [mlx5_core] atomic_notifier_call_chain+0xd7/0x1d0 ? irq_release+0x140/0x140 [mlx5_core] irq_int_handler+0x19/0x30 [mlx5_core] __handle_irq_event_percpu+0x1f2/0x620 handle_irq_event+0xb2/0x1d0 handle_edge_irq+0x21e/0xb00 __common_interrupt+0x79/0x1a0 common_interrupt+0x78/0xa0
asm_common_interrupt+0x22/0x40 RIP: 0010:default_idle+0x42/0x60 Code: c1 83 e0 07 48 c1 e9 03 83 c0 03 0f b6 14 11 38 d0 7c 04 84 d2 75 14 8b 05 eb 47 22 02 85 c0 7e 07 0f 00 2d e0 9f 48 00 fb f4 48 c7 c7 80 08 7f 85 e8 d1 d3 3e fe eb de 66 66 2e 0f 1f 84 00 RSP: 0018:ffff888100dbfdf0 EFLAGS: 00000242 RAX: 0000000000000001 RBX: ffffffff84ecbd48 RCX: 1ffffffff0afe110 RDX: 0000000000000004 RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: ffffffff835cc9bc RBP: 0000000000000005 R08: 0000000000000001 R09: ffff88881dec4ac3 R10: ffffed1103bd8958 R11: 0000017d0ca571c9 R12: 0000000000000005 R13: ffffffff84f024e0 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: dffffc0000000000 ? default_idle_call+0xcc/0x450 default_idle_call+0xec/0x450 do_idle+0x394/0x450 ? arch_cpu_idle_exit+0x40/0x40 ? do_idle+0x17/0x450 cpu_startup_entry+0x19/0x20 start_secondary+0x221/0x2b0 ? set_cpu_sibling_map+0x2070/0x2070 secondary_startup_64_no_verify+0xcd/0xdb
Allocated by task 49502: kasan_save_stack+0x1e/0x40 __kasan_kmalloc+0x81/0xa0 kvmalloc_node+0x48/0xe0 mlx5e_bulk_async_init+0x35/0x110 [mlx5_core] mlx5e_tls_priv_tx_list_cleanup+0x84/0x3e0 [mlx5_core] mlx5e_ktls_cleanup_tx+0x38f/0x760 [mlx5_core] mlx5e_cleanup_nic_tx+0xa7/0x100 [mlx5_core] mlx5e_detach_netdev+0x1c ---truncated---
AI Insight
LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.
Use-after-free in Linux kernel's mlx5 async command interface due to improper synchronization, allowing a freed object to be accessed when cleaning up command contexts.
Vulnerability
Description
A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's mlx5 driver asynchronous command interface. The race condition occurs between mlx5_cmd_cleanup_async_ctx and mlx5_cmd_exec_cb_handler. When mlx5_cmd_cleanup_async_ctx decrements the num_inflight counter and returns, a concurrently executing callback may still access the freed mlx5_async_ctx object, leading to a use-after-free. This is due to inadequate synchronization; the cleanup function waits until num_inflight reaches zero, but the callback may be in the process of waking up after the counter decrement but before the wake-up completes.
Exploitation
An attacker with local access and the ability to trigger mlx5 asynchronous commands and concurrently force a cleanup can potentially exploit this race. The attack requires precise timing and likely elevated privileges (e.g., root) to interact with the mlx5 device driver. However, any unprivileged process that can trigger a race condition in the driver's command path could potentially exploit it, though the exact prerequisites are not detailed in the description [1][2].
Impact
Successful exploitation could lead to memory corruption, potentially allowing an attacker to escalate privileges or cause a denial of service. The KASAN report indicates a read of freed memory, which may be used to leak sensitive information or execute arbitrary code in kernel context, though the specific impact depends on the system configuration and attacker capabilities.
Mitigation
This vulnerability was fixed in the Linux kernel by synchronizing the cleanup using a completion object. The fix ensures that mlx5_cmd_cleanup_async_ctx waits until all callback handlers have completed before returning. Patched versions are available in stable kernel updates [1][2]. Users should apply the latest kernel updates from their distribution to mitigate this issue.
AI Insight generated on May 19, 2026. Synthesized from this CVE's description and the cited reference URLs; citations are validated against the source bundle.
Affected products
1Patches
569dd3ad406c4bbcc06933f35ab3de780c1760aa3ee1e4e5cbacd22df9514Vulnerability mechanics
Generated on May 9, 2026. Inputs: CWE entries + fix-commit diffs from this CVE's patches. Citations validated against bundle.
References
5- git.kernel.org/stable/c/0aa3ee1e4e5c9ed5dda11249450d609c3072c54envd
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/69dd3ad406c49aa69ce4852c15231ac56af8caf9nvd
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/ab3de780c176bb91995c6166a576b370d9726e17nvd
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/bacd22df95147ed673bec4692ab2d4d585935241nvd
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/bbcc06933f35651294ea1e963757502312c2171fnvd
News mentions
0No linked articles in our index yet.