idpf: disable DIM work before freeing q_vectors
Key facts
- Attack vector
- —
- Privileges required
- —
- User interaction
- —
- Attack complexity
- —
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- —
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 5 without a fix
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: idpf: disable DIM work before freeing q_vectors idpf never drains the Tx/Rx DIM works before freeing the memory they live in. tx_dim and rx_dim are embedded in struct idpf_q_vector, they are queued from the NAPI poll via net_dim(), and idpf_vport_intr_rel() ends with kfree(rsrc->q_vectors). Nothing in the driver cancels them. idpf_tx_dim_work() and idpf_rx_dim_work() then run on freed memory: idpf_vport_intr_write_itr() writes the ITR register through q_vector->intr_reg.tx_itr / rx_itr, void __iomem pointers loaded out of the freed q_vector. No configuration is needed to get there -- IDPF_ITR_IS_DYNAMIC() is defined as (itr_mode) and idpf_vport_alloc() initialises both modes to IDPF_ITR_DYNAMIC. Draining after idpf_vport_intr_napi_dis_all() is not enough on its own. idpf_net_dim() is called from inside the "if (napi_complete_done(napi, work_done))" branch of the poll, and napi_complete_done() has already cleared NAPIF_STATE_SCHED by then. napi_disable_locked() waits only while (val & (NAPIF_STATE_SCHED | NAPIF_STATE_NPSVC)), so napi_disable() can return while the poll tail is still queueing the work, and a plain cancel_work_sync() would be re-armed behind the drain. Use disable_work_sync(): schedule_work() on a work with a non-zero disable count is dropped by clear_pending_if_disabled() before __queue_work() is reached. Move idpf_init_dim() to idpf_vport_intr_alloc() so the works are initialised on every path that can reach the drain -- the three "goto intr_deinit" sites between idpf_vport_intr_init() and idpf_vport_intr_ena() get there without the enable side having run. Nothing re-enables them: rsrc->q_vectors is freed on every exit from idpf_vport_open() and on every idpf_vport_stop(), so the count dies with the object. It is a race, not a deterministic failure -- net_dim() only schedules once DIM_NEVENTS events have accumulated and the profile index changes. A KASAN ifup/ifdown loop under load is the way to see it.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.12.112, 6.18.53, 7.2.7, 7.3
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 4 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-97603
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-6g6r-xm94-6p2f
- 2026-10-03 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@7d64d4c6bb6bb63b6cdb7de133c3ec48333b27b5 · CNA
- 2026-10-03 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
More Linux vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2021-02452 Incorrect authorization in Ubuntu linux kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
Sources
- CVE-2026-97603 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-97603 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-6g6r-xm94-6p2f · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-97603 · 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