In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ixgbevf: fix mailbox API compatibility by negotiating supported features
There was backward compatibility in the terms of mailbox API. Various
drivers from various OSes supporting 10G adapters from Intel portfolio
could easily negotiate mailbox API.
This convention has been broken since introducing API 1.4.
Commit 0062e7cc955e ("ixgbevf: add VF IPsec offload code") added support
for IPSec which is specific only for the kernel ixgbe driver. None of the
rest of the Intel 10G PF/VF drivers supports it. And actually lack of
support was not included in the IPSec implementation - there were no such
code paths. No possibility to negotiate support for the feature was
introduced along with introduction of the feature itself.
Commit 339f28964147 ("ixgbevf: Add support for new mailbox communication
between PF and VF") increasing API version to 1.5 did the same - it
introduced code supported specifically by the PF ESX driver. It altered API
version for the VF driver in the same time not touching the version
defined for the PF ixgbe driver. It led to additional discrepancies,
as the code provided within API 1.6 cannot be supported for Linux ixgbe
driver as it causes crashes.
The issue was noticed some time ago and mitigated by Jake within the commit
d0725312adf5 ("ixgbevf: stop attempting IPSEC offload on Mailbox API 1.5").
As a result we have regression for IPsec support and after increasing API
to version 1.6 ixgbevf driver stopped to support ESX MBX.
To fix this mess add new mailbox op asking PF driver about supported
features. Basing on a response determine whether to set support for IPSec
and ESX-specific enhanced mailbox.
New mailbox op, for compatibility purposes, must be added within new API
revision, as API version of OOT PF & VF drivers is already increased to
1.6 and doesn't incorporate features negotiate op.
Features negotiation mechanism gives possibility to be extended with new
features when needed in the future.
ixgbevf: fix mailbox API compatibility by negotiating supported features
There was backward compatibility in the terms of mailbox API. Various
drivers from various OSes supporting 10G adapters from Intel portfolio
could easily negotiate mailbox API.
This convention has been broken since introducing API 1.4.
Commit 0062e7cc955e ("ixgbevf: add VF IPsec offload code") added support
for IPSec which is specific only for the kernel ixgbe driver. None of the
rest of the Intel 10G PF/VF drivers supports it. And actually lack of
support was not included in the IPSec implementation - there were no such
code paths. No possibility to negotiate support for the feature was
introduced along with introduction of the feature itself.
Commit 339f28964147 ("ixgbevf: Add support for new mailbox communication
between PF and VF") increasing API version to 1.5 did the same - it
introduced code supported specifically by the PF ESX driver. It altered API
version for the VF driver in the same time not touching the version
defined for the PF ixgbe driver. It led to additional discrepancies,
as the code provided within API 1.6 cannot be supported for Linux ixgbe
driver as it causes crashes.
The issue was noticed some time ago and mitigated by Jake within the commit
d0725312adf5 ("ixgbevf: stop attempting IPSEC offload on Mailbox API 1.5").
As a result we have regression for IPsec support and after increasing API
to version 1.6 ixgbevf driver stopped to support ESX MBX.
To fix this mess add new mailbox op asking PF driver about supported
features. Basing on a response determine whether to set support for IPSec
and ESX-specific enhanced mailbox.
New mailbox op, for compatibility purposes, must be added within new API
revision, as API version of OOT PF & VF drivers is already increased to
1.6 and doesn't incorporate features negotiate op.
Features negotiation mechanism gives possibility to be extended with new
features when needed in the future.
Metrics
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendors | Products |
|---|---|
| Linux |
|
No data.
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment is a feature of OpenCVE that uses AI to automatically link vendors and products to CVEs. Learn more on GitHub.
| Vendors | Products |
|---|---|
| Linux |
|
Advisories
No advisories yet.
Fixes
Solution
No solution given by the vendor.
Workaround
No workaround given by the vendor.
References
History
Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:15:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| References |
| |
| Metrics |
threat_severity
|
cvssV3_1
|
Thu, 30 Oct 2025 14:45:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
Thu, 30 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ixgbevf: fix mailbox API compatibility by negotiating supported features There was backward compatibility in the terms of mailbox API. Various drivers from various OSes supporting 10G adapters from Intel portfolio could easily negotiate mailbox API. This convention has been broken since introducing API 1.4. Commit 0062e7cc955e ("ixgbevf: add VF IPsec offload code") added support for IPSec which is specific only for the kernel ixgbe driver. None of the rest of the Intel 10G PF/VF drivers supports it. And actually lack of support was not included in the IPSec implementation - there were no such code paths. No possibility to negotiate support for the feature was introduced along with introduction of the feature itself. Commit 339f28964147 ("ixgbevf: Add support for new mailbox communication between PF and VF") increasing API version to 1.5 did the same - it introduced code supported specifically by the PF ESX driver. It altered API version for the VF driver in the same time not touching the version defined for the PF ixgbe driver. It led to additional discrepancies, as the code provided within API 1.6 cannot be supported for Linux ixgbe driver as it causes crashes. The issue was noticed some time ago and mitigated by Jake within the commit d0725312adf5 ("ixgbevf: stop attempting IPSEC offload on Mailbox API 1.5"). As a result we have regression for IPsec support and after increasing API to version 1.6 ixgbevf driver stopped to support ESX MBX. To fix this mess add new mailbox op asking PF driver about supported features. Basing on a response determine whether to set support for IPSec and ESX-specific enhanced mailbox. New mailbox op, for compatibility purposes, must be added within new API revision, as API version of OOT PF & VF drivers is already increased to 1.6 and doesn't incorporate features negotiate op. Features negotiation mechanism gives possibility to be extended with new features when needed in the future. | |
| Title | ixgbevf: fix mailbox API compatibility by negotiating supported features | |
| References |
|
|
MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2025-10-30T09:48:09.051Z
Reserved: 2025-04-16T07:20:57.165Z
Link: CVE-2025-40104
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
Status : Awaiting Analysis
Published: 2025-10-30T10:15:34.783
Modified: 2025-10-30T15:03:13.440
Link: CVE-2025-40104
Redhat
OpenCVE Enrichment
Updated: 2025-10-30T14:37:24Z