CVE-2026-23441

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 operations 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.

Weakness

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.

Affected Software

Extended Description

A race condition occurs within concurrent environments, and it is effectively a property of a code sequence. Depending on the context, a code sequence may be in the form of a function call, a small number of instructions, a series of program invocations, etc. A race condition violates these properties, which are closely related:

A race condition exists when an “interfering code sequence” can still access the shared resource, violating exclusivity. The interfering code sequence could be “trusted” or “untrusted.” A trusted interfering code sequence occurs within the product; it cannot be modified by the attacker, and it can only be invoked indirectly. An untrusted interfering code sequence can be authored directly by the attacker, and typically it is external to the vulnerable product.

Potential Mitigations

• Minimize the usage of shared resources in order to remove as much complexity as possible from the control flow and to reduce the likelihood of unexpected conditions occurring.
• Additionally, this will minimize the amount of synchronization necessary and may even help to reduce the likelihood of a denial of service where an attacker may be able to repeatedly trigger a critical section (CWE-400).

Related Attack Patterns

• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/26.html
• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/29.html

References

• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2c6a5be0aee5a44066f68a332c30650900e32ad4
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6834d196107d5267dcad31b44211da7698e8f618
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/99aaee927800ea00b441b607737f9f67b1899755
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/99b36850d881e2d65912b2520a1c80d0fcc9429a
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c3db55dc0f3344b62da25b025a8396d78763b5fa