CVE-2026-43464
Published: May 8, 2026· Updated: May 12, 2026
Official Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net/mlx5e: RX, Fix XDP multi-buf frag counting for legacy RQ
XDP multi-buf programs can modify the layout of the XDP buffer when the
program calls bpf_xdp_pull_data() or bpf_xdp_adjust_tail(). The
referenced commit in the fixes tag corrected the assumption in the mlx5
driver that the XDP buffer layout doesn't change during a program
execution. However, this fix introduced another issue: the dropped
fragments still need to be counted on the driver side to avoid page
fragment reference counting issues.
Such issue can be observed with the
test_xdp_native_adjst_tail_shrnk_data selftest when using a payload of
3600 and shrinking by 256 bytes (an upcoming selftest patch): the last
fragment gets released by the XDP code but doesn't get tracked by the
driver. This results in a negative pp_ref_count during page release and
the following splat:
WARNING: include/net/page_pool/helpers.h:297 at mlx5e_page_release_fragmented.isra.0+0x4a/0x50 [mlx5_core], CPU#12: ip/3137
Modules linked in: [...]
CPU: 12 UID: 0 PID: 3137 Comm: ip Not tainted 6.19.0-rc3+ #12 NONE
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.16.3-0-ga6ed6b701f0a-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014
RIP: 0010:mlx5e_page_release_fragmented.isra.0+0x4a/0x50 [mlx5_core]
[...]
Call Trace:
<TASK>
mlx5e_dealloc_rx_wqe+0xcb/0x1a0 [mlx5_core]
mlx5e_free_rx_descs+0x7f/0x110 [mlx5_core]
mlx5e_close_rq+0x50/0x60 [mlx5_core]
mlx5e_close_queues+0x36/0x2c0 [mlx5_core]
mlx5e_close_channel+0x1c/0x50 [mlx5_core]
mlx5e_close_channels+0x45/0x80 [mlx5_core]
mlx5e_safe_switch_params+0x1a5/0x230 [mlx5_core]
mlx5e_change_mtu+0xf3/0x2f0 [mlx5_core]
netif_set_mtu_ext+0xf1/0x230
do_setlink.isra.0+0x219/0x1180
rtnl_newlink+0x79f/0xb60
rtnetlink_rcv_msg+0x213/0x3a0
netlink_rcv_skb+0x48/0xf0
netlink_unicast+0x24a/0x350
netlink_sendmsg+0x1ee/0x410
__sock_sendmsg+0x38/0x60
____sys_sendmsg+0x232/0x280
___sys_sendmsg+0x78/0xb0
__sys_sendmsg+0x5f/0xb0
[...]
do_syscall_64+0x57/0xc50
This patch fixes the issue by doing page frag counting on all the
original XDP buffer fragments for all relevant XDP actions (XDP_TX ,
XDP_REDIRECT and XDP_PASS). This is basically reverting to the original
counting before the commit in the fixes tag.
As frag_page is still pointing to the original tail, the nr_frags
parameter to xdp_update_skb_frags_info() needs to be calculated
in a different way to reflect the new nr_frags.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-43464 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.
The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.
A successful exploit results in availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.5.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
All References (3)
Quick Facts
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2026-43464 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts