CVE-2024-53121

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Mellanox (mlx5) network driver. This vulnerability can lead to a Denial of Service (DoS) when a race condition is triggered during the concurrent deletion and addition of matching network flow steering rules. A local user with network configuration privileges could exploit improper locking of flow table entries to trigger a kernel crash.

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.

To mitigate this vulnerability, prevent the mlx5_core kernel module from being loaded by creating a modprobe configuration file:

# echo "install mlx5_core /bin/true" > /etc/modprobe.d/disable-mlx5_core.conf

If the module is currently loaded, unload it:

# modprobe -r mlx5_core

If the module is in use and cannot be removed dynamically, a system reboot is required for the configuration to take effect.

Warning: Disabling or unloading the mlx5_core driver disables all Mellanox/NVIDIA ConnectX interfaces, causing total loss of network connectivity across those devices. Only apply this configuration if the system does not depend on Mellanox network hardware.