# CVE-2024-35959: net/mlx5e: Fix mlx5e_priv_init() cleanup flow

> A missing lock in the Mellanox mlx5e driver cleanup flow can trigger a kernel warning and potential instability during module initialization failures.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 20 May 2024
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-35959, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-35959, GHSA-gj4j-4qw6-9rp8, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2024-35959, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-35959

## What is CVE-2024-35959?

CVE-2024-35959 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 20 May 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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

net/mlx5e: Fix mlx5e_priv_init() cleanup flow

When mlx5e_priv_init() fails, the cleanup flow calls mlx5e_selq_cleanup which
calls mlx5e_selq_apply() that assures that the `priv->state_lock` is held using
lockdep_is_held().

Acquire the state_lock in mlx5e_selq_cleanup().

Kernel log:
=============================
WARNING: suspicious RCU usage
6.8.0-rc3_net_next_841a9b5 #1 Not tainted
-----------------------------
drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en/selq.c:124 suspicious rcu_dereference_protected() usage!

other info that might help us debug this:

rcu_scheduler_active = 2, debug_locks = 1
2 locks held by systemd-modules/293:
 #0: ffffffffa05067b0 (devices_rwsem){++++}-{3:3}, at: ib_register_client+0x109/0x1b0 [ib_core]
 #1: ffff8881096c65c0 (&device->client_data_rwsem){++++}-{3:3}, at: add_client_context+0x104/0x1c0 [ib_core]

stack backtrace:
CPU: 4 PID: 293 Comm: systemd-modules Not tainted 6.8.0-rc3_net_next_841a9b5 #1
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.13.0-0-gf21b5a4aeb02-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 dump_stack_lvl+0x8a/0xa0
 lockdep_rcu_suspicious+0x154/0x1a0
 mlx5e_selq_apply+0x94/0xa0 [mlx5_core]
 mlx5e_selq_cleanup+0x3a/0x60 [mlx5_core]
 mlx5e_priv_init+0x2be/0x2f0 [mlx5_core]
 mlx5_rdma_setup_rn+0x7c/0x1a0 [mlx5_core]
 rdma_init_netdev+0x4e/0x80 [ib_core]
 ? mlx5_rdma_netdev_free+0x70/0x70 [mlx5_core]
 ipoib_intf_init+0x64/0x550 [ib_ipoib]
 ipoib_intf_alloc+0x4e/0xc0 [ib_ipoib]
 ipoib_add_one+0xb0/0x360 [ib_ipoib]
 add_client_context+0x112/0x1c0 [ib_core]
 ib_register_client+0x166/0x1b0 [ib_core]
 ? 0xffffffffa0573000
 ipoib_init_module+0xeb/0x1a0 [ib_ipoib]
 do_one_initcall+0x61/0x250
 do_init_module+0x8a/0x270
 init_module_from_file+0x8b/0xd0
 idempotent_init_module+0x17d/0x230
 __x64_sys_finit_module+0x61/0xb0
 do_syscall_64+0x71/0x140
 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x46/0x4e
 </TASK>

Weakness: CWE-459 (Incomplete Cleanup)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-35959?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-35959?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-35959 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-35959 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-35959 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-35959 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 20 May 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-35959 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-35959/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-35959/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-35959
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-35959
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-35959

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-35959/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.
