In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net: openvswitch: fix race on port output
assume the following setup on a single machine:
when following the actions below the host has a chance of getting a cpu stuck in a infinite loop:
there is a low chance that this will cause the below kernel cpu stuck message. If this does not happen just retry. Below there is also the output of bpftrace for the functions mentioned in the output.
The series of events happening here is:
unregister_netdevice_many_notify somewhere in the processNETREG_UNREGISTERING on both ends of the veth and
then runs synchronize_netcall_netdevice_notifiers with NETDEV_UNREGISTERdp_device_event which calls
ovs_netdev_detach_dev (if a vport is found, which is the case for
the veth interface attached to ovs)dp_device_event then queues the vport deletion to work in
background as a ovs_lock is needed that we do not hold in the
unregistration pathunregister_netdevice_many_notify continues to call
netdev_unregister_kobject which sets real_num_tx_queues to 0If after 7. but before 9. a packet is send to the ovs vport (which is
not deleted at this point in time) which forwards it to the
dev_queue_xmit flow even though the device is unregistering.
In skb_tx_hash (which is called in the dev_queue_xmit) path there is
a while loop (if the packet has a rx_queue recorded) that is infinite if
dev->real_num_tx_queues is zero.
To prevent this from happening we update do_output to handle devices
without carrier the same as if the device is not found (which would
be the code path after 9. is done).
Additionally we now produce a warning in skb_tx_hash if we will hit
the infinite loop.
bpftrace (first word is function name):
_dev_queue_xmit server: real_num_tx_queues: 1, cpu: 2, pid: 28024, tid: 28024, skb_addr: 0xffff9edb6f207000, reg_state: 1 netdev_core_pick_tx server: addr: 0xffff9f0a46d4a000 real_num_tx_queues: 1, cpu: 2, pid: 28024, tid: 28024, skb_addr: 0xffff9edb6f207000, reg_state: 1 dp_device_event server: real_num_tx_queues: 1 cpu 9, pid: 21024, tid: 21024, event 2, reg_state: 1 synchronize_rcu_expedited: cpu 9, pid: 21024, tid: 21024 synchronize_rcu_expedited: cpu 9, pid: 21024, tid: 21024 synchronize_rcu_expedited: cpu 9, pid: 21024, tid: 21024 synchronize_rcu_expedited: cpu 9, pid: 21024, tid: 21024 dp_device_event server: real_num_tx_queues: 1 cpu 9, pid: 21024, tid: 21024, event 6, reg_state: 2 ovs_netdev_detach_dev server: real_num_tx_queues: 1 cpu 9, pid: 21024, tid: 21024, reg_state: 2 netdev_rx_handler_unregister server: real_num_tx_queues: 1, cpu: 9, pid: 21024, tid: 21024, reg_state: 2 synchronize_rcu_expedited: cpu 9, pid: 21024, tid: 21024 netdev_rx_handler_unregister ret server: real_num_tx_queues: 1, cpu: 9, pid: 21024, tid: 21024, reg_state: 2 dp ---truncated---
| Software | From | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| linux / linux_kernel | 4.3 | 5.4.293 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 5.5 | 5.10.237 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 5.11 | 5.15.181 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 5.16 | 6.1.25 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.2 | 6.2.12 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.3-rc1 | 6.3-rc1.x |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.3-rc2 | 6.3-rc2.x |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.3-rc3 | 6.3-rc3.x |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.3-rc4 | 6.3-rc4.x |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.3-rc5 | 6.3-rc5.x |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.3-rc6 | 6.3-rc6.x |
A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.
CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.
A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. In practice, risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.
Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.
Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.
SynScan combines attack surface monitoring and continuous security auditing to keep your inventory current, flag high-impact vulnerabilities early, and help you turn raw findings into a practical remediation plan.