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CVE Record

CVE-2023-53999: net/mlx5e: TC, Fix internal port memory leak

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5e: TC, Fix internal port memory leak The flow rule can be splited, and the extra post_act rules are added to post_act table. It's possible to trigger memleak when the rule forwards packets from internal port and over tunnel, in the case that, for example, CT 'new' state offload is allowed. As int_port object is assigned to the flow attribute of post_act rule, and its refcnt is incremented by mlx5e_tc_int_port_get(), but mlx5e_tc_int_port_put() is not called, the refcnt is never decremented, then int_port is never freed. The kmemleak reports the following error: unreferenced object 0xffff888128204b80 (size 64): comm "handler20", pid 50121, jiffies 4296973009 (age 642.932s) hex dump (first 32 bytes): 01 00 00 00 19 00 00 00 03 f0 00 00 04 00 00 00 ................ 98 77 67 41 81 88 ff ff 98 77 67 41 81 88 ff ff .wgA.....wgA.... backtrace: [<00000000e992680d>] kmalloc_trace+0x27/0x120 [<000000009e945a98>] mlx5e_tc_int_port_get+0x3f3/0xe20 [mlx5_core] [<0000000035a537f0>] mlx5e_tc_add_fdb_flow+0x473/0xcf0 [mlx5_core] [<0000000070c2cec6>] __mlx5e_add_fdb_flow+0x7cf/0xe90 [mlx5_core] [<000000005cc84048>] mlx5e_configure_flower+0xd40/0x4c40 [mlx5_core] [<000000004f8a2031>] mlx5e_rep_indr_offload.isra.0+0x10e/0x1c0 [mlx5_core] [<000000007df797dc>] mlx5e_rep_indr_setup_tc_cb+0x90/0x130 [mlx5_core] [<0000000016c15cc3>] tc_setup_cb_add+0x1cf/0x410 [<00000000a63305b4>] fl_hw_replace_filter+0x38f/0x670 [cls_flower] [<000000008bc9e77c>] fl_change+0x1fd5/0x4430 [cls_flower] [<00000000e7f766e4>] tc_new_tfilter+0x867/0x2010 [<00000000e101c0ef>] rtnetlink_rcv_msg+0x6fc/0x9f0 [<00000000e1111d44>] netlink_rcv_skb+0x12c/0x360 [<0000000082dd6c8b>] netlink_unicast+0x438/0x710 [<00000000fc568f70>] netlink_sendmsg+0x794/0xc50 [<0000000016e92590>] sock_sendmsg+0xc5/0x190 So fix this by moving int_port cleanup code to the flow attribute free helper, which is used by all the attribute free cases.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This is a Linux kernel memory leak in the mlx5e networking driver’s traffic-control offload path. Under specific offload rules involving an internal port and tunnel forwarding, a reference is not released, so kernel memory can accumulate until the object is never freed.

Executive priority

Treat as a targeted infrastructure maintenance issue, not an emergency, unless affected hosts run critical high-throughput networking with mlx5 TC offload. Patch through normal kernel maintenance with priority for exposed networking nodes.

Technical view

The issue is in net/mlx5e TC handling for split flow rules and post_act rules. mlx5e_tc_int_port_get() increments an int_port reference for a post_act rule, but the matching put path is missed. The fix moves int_port cleanup into the flow attribute free helper used by all attribute-free cases.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely on Linux systems using mlx5/mlx5e hardware and TC flower/FDB offload features, especially internal port forwarding over tunnels. Generic Linux hosts without this driver or offload configuration are less likely to be affected based on the provided description.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not report active exploitation, public weaponization, or KEV listing. The trigger appears configuration-dependent and tied to traffic-control offload behavior, not a general remote network attack path. Impact evidence is limited to a kernel kmemleak report.

Researcher notes

Evidence supports a resource leak caused by missing int_port refcount cleanup. The bundle does not provide CVSS, CWE, exploitability analysis, or distribution package status, so validation should focus on driver presence, TC offload usage, and fixed-kernel mapping.

Mitigation direction

  • Update to a Linux kernel or vendor kernel containing the referenced stable fixes.
  • Prioritize systems using mlx5e hardware with TC offload and tunnel forwarding.
  • Review vendor advisories for exact fixed package versions.
  • Temporarily reduce affected TC offload usage if vendor guidance recommends it.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux hosts using mlx5_core or mlx5e drivers.
  • Check whether TC flower/FDB hardware offload rules are configured.
  • Compare running kernel builds against vendor fixed versions or referenced stable commits.
  • Review kernel logs or kmemleak output for related mlx5e_tc_int_port_get leaks.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
4

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

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0CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
0ADP providers
3Source links

Vulnerability timeline

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Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux8300f225268be9ee2c0daf5a3f23929fcdcbf213, 8300f225268be9ee2c0daf5a3f23929fcdcbf213unaffected
LinuxLinux5.18, 0, 6.4.11, 6.5affected
Weakness

CWE details

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