Linux Kernel IB/MAD Tracepoint Sleeping Vulnerability in Atomic Context

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's InfiniBand (IB) Management Datagram (MAD) handling has been addressed. The issue arose because a function that can sleep was called while in an atomic context, which is not permitted. This improper function call generated a warning trace, indicating the violation of context requirements. The vulnerability was present in the kernel version 4.18.0-305.3.1.el8.x86_64.

Impact

The vulnerability could lead to a violation of the Linux kernel's context management, potentially causing unexpected behavior in the handling of InfiniBand MAD events.

Reproduction

The vulnerability can be reproduced by enabling the InfiniBand management datagram tracepoint while in an atomic context, such as during a workqueue processing event. This will trigger the improper function call that queries the partition key, causing the warning trace that indicates the violation of context requirements.

Remediation

Users can upgrade to the latest version of the Linux kernel stable tree to address this vulnerability.