A memory leak in the sdma_init() function in drivers/infiniband/hw/hfi1/sdma.c in the…
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 4 fixed, 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-401.
Summary
A memory leak in the sdma_init() function in drivers/infiniband/hw/hfi1/sdma.c in the Linux kernel before 5.3.9 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) by triggering rhashtable_init() failures, aka CID-34b3be18a04e. NOTE: This has been disputed as not a vulnerability because "rhashtable_init() can only fail if it is passed invalid values in the second parameter's struct, but when invoked from sdma_init() that is a pointer to a static const struct, so an attacker could only trigger failure if they could corrupt kernel memory (in which case a small memory leak is not a significant problem).
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | all versions | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- — Vendor— Affected all versions Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 6
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 5.3.9 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* | 16.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* | 18.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:19.04:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 19.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:19.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 19.10 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 15.1 | Vulnerable | openSUSE |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 5.3.9 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* Versions 16.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* Versions 18.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:19.04:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 19.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:19.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 19.10 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 15.1 Vulnerable ·openSUSE
Remediation
Red Hat 2 advisories
- RHSA-2020:1769 Released 2020-04-28 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 8) kernel-tools-libs-devel-4.18.0-193.el8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) bpftool-4.18.0-193.el8, kernel-4.18.0-193.el8, kernel-abi-whitelists-4.18.0-193.el8 +19
- RHSA-2020:1567 Released 2020-04-28 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel-rt security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-193.rt13.51.el8, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-193.rt13.51.el8, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-193.rt13.51.el8 +7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-193.rt13.51.el8, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-193.rt13.51.el8, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-193.rt13.51.el8 +9
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise MRG 2 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:1769 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:1769 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:1567 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:1567 |
Not affected: 3 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2019-19065
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-hxgv-f94v-h963
References
Sources
- CVE-2019-19065 · CVE Program
- CVE-2019-19065 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-hxgv-f94v-h963 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2019-19065 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences