Linux kernel InfiniBand core (ib_umad): ib_umad kept received management datagrams on an unbounded list

CVE-2024-42145Firmware, BMC & network fabricIB/core implement a limit on UMAD receive listcurated

Impact

ib_umad kept received management datagrams on an unbounded list. Any node on the fabric that sends MADs faster than userspace drains them exhausts host memory and takes the node down. This is a fabric-wide, unauthenticated availability attack against every host running a subnet manager, an IB diagnostic agent, or UFM's host-side collectors - one malicious or misbehaving endpoint degrades the management plane for the entire cluster.

Who can reach it

Any unauthenticated node attached to the InfiniBand subnet, sending a flood of management datagrams. No credentials anywhere.

What to do

Upgrade the host kernel to 6.10 or a stable backport (4.19.318, 5.4.280, 5.10.222, 5.15.163, 6.1.98, 6.6.39, 6.9.9) - the fix caps the list at 200k entries. Rolling reboot, prioritizing the nodes that run OpenSM/UFM agents. No firmware flash.

References

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-42145 https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/tree/cve/published/2024/CVE-2024-42145.json

This entry is curated: imported from vendor advisories with machine assistance, not yet individually verified. Confirm against your vendor's advisory before acting, and report anything wrong.