CVE-2023-54216

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel net/mlx5e Ethernet driver’s traffic control handling code. Under certain configurations when operating in NIC mode, the driver erroneously uses the eswitch object mapping pool, which is not initialized in that mode. This can lead to an invalid mapping reference and related kernel trace conditions, potentially causing network driver instability or denial of service. An unprivileged local user with access to configure traffic control on an affected system may be able to trigger this condition

This vulnerability is rated as Moderate impact because exploitation requires local access with network configuration capabilities to establish hardware-offloaded traffic control rules, significantly limiting the threat scope. The flaw only manifests on systems equipped with Mellanox ConnectX hardware operating in NIC mode with specific traffic control filter offloading. Enterprise environments that do not utilize this specific hardware or offloading configuration remain unaffected.

The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.

Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options don't meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base or stability.