CVE-2024-53088 is a race condition vulnerability found in the i40e network driver within the Linux kernel, specifically affecting the handling of MAC and VLAN filters under heavy concurrent load. The i40e driver manages Intel Ethernet devices, including Virtual Functions (VFs) used in SR-IOV (Single Root I/O Virtualization) environments. The vulnerability arises when multiple threads concurrently modify MAC addresses and port VLANs on VFs, leading to a race between filter allocation and deallocation. Thread T0 allocates a filter in the function i40e_add_filter() during VLAN configuration, while Thread T1 concurrently frees a filter in __i40e_del_filter() during MAC address changes. Subsequently, the i40e_service_task() calls i40e_sync_vsi_filters(), which accesses the already freed filter memory, causing memory corruption and potential filter leakage. This can manifest as errors in system logs (dmesg) indicating failures to add RX filters and suggesting manual promiscuous mode enabling for affected VFs. The root cause is the lack of proper synchronization when modifying filter lists concurrently. The patch introduces an intermediate filter state (I40E_FILTER_NEW_SYNC) to ensure filters on a temporary add list are not prematurely deleted, enforcing a full removal process to prevent use-after-free conditions. The vulnerability is reproducible by spawning multiple VFs and applying concurrent heavy load operations that change MAC addresses and VLANs simultaneously. Although the exact patch code is not publicly available, the fix is integrated into recent Linux kernel versions. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no CVSS score has been assigned yet.

For European organizations, especially those operating data centers, cloud services, or telecom infrastructure relying on Linux servers with Intel Ethernet devices using the i40e driver and SR-IOV virtualization, this vulnerability poses a risk of network instability and potential denial of service. The race condition can lead to corrupted MAC/VLAN filters, causing packet filtering failures, degraded network performance, or loss of network isolation between virtualized environments. This can impact confidentiality and integrity by potentially leaking network traffic between VFs or disrupting network segmentation. In high-load environments such as financial institutions, telecom operators, and cloud providers, this could degrade service availability and reliability. Although no direct remote code execution or privilege escalation is indicated, the corruption and filter leakage could be leveraged in complex attack chains or cause operational disruptions. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the vulnerability's presence in critical network drivers warrants prompt attention to avoid future exploitation or service impact.

European organizations should prioritize updating their Linux kernel to versions containing the fix for CVE-2024-53088 as soon as patches become available. In the interim, administrators should minimize concurrent modifications to MAC addresses and VLAN configurations on VFs, especially under heavy load, to reduce the likelihood of triggering the race condition. Network teams should monitor system logs (dmesg) for error messages related to RX filter failures and promiscuous mode warnings as early indicators of the issue. Where possible, limit the use of SR-IOV VFs or isolate workloads to reduce concurrency on filter modifications. Implementing strict change management and scheduling network configuration changes during low traffic periods can help mitigate risk. Additionally, consider deploying network monitoring tools to detect anomalies in VLAN or MAC address behavior that could signal filter corruption. Collaboration with hardware vendors and Linux distribution maintainers is advised to track patch releases and validate kernel updates in test environments before production deployment.