Linux Kernel Exec Queue Reference Leak Vulnerability in DRM XE OA Stream Management

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's handling of executive queue references within the Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) for Intel's Xe architecture has been addressed. The issue arose in the 'xe_oa_stream_open_ioctl()' function, where a width check on the execution queue parameter could lead to a reference leak. Specifically, when the execution queue width exceeded one, the function would return an 'Operation Not Supported' error without properly cleaning up the allocated resources. This oversight caused a reference to the execution queue to remain active indefinitely, preventing the associated file from being closed and released properly. The vulnerability has been fixed by modifying the function to return the error while also initiating the cleanup process, ensuring that all references are correctly managed.

Impact

The vulnerability could lead to a memory leak by improperly managing references to execution queues, causing associated resources to remain allocated and unreleaseable, which could degrade system performance over time.

Remediation

Users can upgrade to the latest version of the Linux kernel where this vulnerability has been fixed. Instructions for downloading the patched version are available on the Linux Kernel Archive.