Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition ('Infinite Loop') Affecting kernel-preempt package, versions <5.3.18-150300.59.167.1


Severity

Recommended
0.0
medium
0
10

Based on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server security rating.

Threat Intelligence

EPSS
0.04% (6th percentile)

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  • Snyk IDSNYK-SLES153-KERNELPREEMPT-7436899
  • published10 Jul 2024
  • disclosed9 Jul 2024

Introduced: 9 Jul 2024

CVE-2021-47617  (opens in a new tab)
CWE-835  (opens in a new tab)

How to fix?

Upgrade SLES:15.3 kernel-preempt to version 5.3.18-150300.59.167.1 or higher.

NVD Description

Note: Versions mentioned in the description apply only to the upstream kernel-preempt package and not the kernel-preempt package as distributed by SLES. See How to fix? for SLES:15.3 relevant fixed versions and status.

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

PCI: pciehp: Fix infinite loop in IRQ handler upon power fault

The Power Fault Detected bit in the Slot Status register differs from all other hotplug events in that it is sticky: It can only be cleared after turning off slot power. Per PCIe r5.0, sec. 6.7.1.8:

If a power controller detects a main power fault on the hot-plug slot, it must automatically set its internal main power fault latch [...]. The main power fault latch is cleared when software turns off power to the hot-plug slot.

The stickiness used to cause interrupt storms and infinite loops which were fixed in 2009 by commits 5651c48cfafe ("PCI pciehp: fix power fault interrupt storm problem") and 99f0169c17f3 ("PCI: pciehp: enable software notification on empty slots").

Unfortunately in 2020 the infinite loop issue was inadvertently reintroduced by commit 8edf5332c393 ("PCI: pciehp: Fix MSI interrupt race"): The hardirq handler pciehp_isr() clears the PFD bit until pciehp's power_fault_detected flag is set. That happens in the IRQ thread pciehp_ist(), which never learns of the event because the hardirq handler is stuck in an infinite loop. Fix by setting the power_fault_detected flag already in the hardirq handler.

CVSS Scores

version 3.1