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Linux vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: ipa: fix stalled modem TX queue after runtime resume ipa_start_xmit() unconditionally stops the TX queue before calling pm_runtime_get(), relying on the wake scheduled by runtime resume (ipa_modem_wake_queue_work()) to restart it once power is ACTIVE. But that work is queued from within the runtime resume callback, before the device's power state reaches RPM_ACTIVE, so it can run while the device is still RPM_RESUMING. The wake is then consumed too early: the transmit it restarts stops the queue again, pm_runtime_get() returns -EINPROGRESS without arranging any future wake (deferred_resume exists only for RPM_SUSPENDING), and after the resume completes nothing is left to wake the queue. Transmit stalls permanently: packets pile up in the qdisc behind the stopped queue, the device runtime-suspends, and since the netdev registers no ndo_tx_timeout the watchdog never fires. Observed on SM7635 (Fairphone 6) as the cellular data path going permanently deaf within hours, RX included, since nothing resumes the suspended endpoints. Close the window by making the wake work wait for the resume to complete (pm_runtime_get_sync()) before waking the queue. Every queue stop is then guaranteed a later wake that happens while power is ACTIVE; a transmit racing a new suspend/resume cycle re-schedules the work. If the device could not be resumed, wake the queue anyway so pending packets are dropped by the transmit path rather than stranded. The STARTED power flag used to narrow this window: a wake running before the transmit path's stop suppressed that stop, but only once, as the flag was cleared by the first stop it absorbed. Removing the flag made a single transmit during an in-flight resume sufficient to strand the queue, which is the form observed. With an accelerated reproducer (autosuspend delay shortened to 5 ms, ~20 packets/s of TX), an unpatched kernel stalled three times in 230 s / 4380 packets; with this patch the same test ran 3601 s / 70298 packets without a stall.

Published 11 Sep 2026Updated 13 Sep 20264 sources
CVSS 7.5
Overview Sources History

What happened

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: ipa: fix stalled modem TX queue after runtime resume ipa_start_xmit() unconditionally stops the TX queue before calling pm_runtime_get(), relying on the wake scheduled by runtime resume (ipa_modem_wake_queue_work()) to restart it once power is ACTIVE. But that work is queued from within the runtime resume callback, before the device's power state reaches RPM_ACTIVE, so it can run while the device is still RPM_RESUMING. The wake is then consumed too early: the transmit it restarts stops the queue again, pm_runtime_get() returns -EINPROGRESS without arranging any future wake (deferred_resume exists only for RPM_SUSPENDING), and after the resume completes nothing is left to wake the queue. Transmit stalls permanently: packets pile up in the qdisc behind the stopped queue, the device runtime-suspends, and since the netdev registers no ndo_tx_timeout the watchdog never fires. Observed on SM7635 (Fairphone 6) as the cellular data path going permanently deaf within hours, RX included, since nothing resumes the suspended endpoints. Close the window by making the wake work wait for the resume to complete (pm_runtime_get_sync()) before waking the queue. Every queue stop is then guaranteed a later wake that happens while power is ACTIVE; a transmit racing a new suspend/resume cycle re-schedules the work. If the device could not be resumed, wake the queue anyway so pending packets are dropped by the transmit path rather than stranded. The STARTED power flag used to narrow this window: a wake running before the transmit path's stop suppressed that stop, but only once, as the flag was cleared by the first stop it absorbed. Removing the flag made a single transmit during an in-flight resume sufficient to strand the queue, which is the form observed. With an accelerated reproducer (autosuspend delay shortened to 5 ms, ~20 packets/s of TX), an unpatched kernel stalled three times in 230 s / 4380 packets; with this patch the same test ran 3601 s / 70298 packets without a stall.

Affected versions

Linux: 688de12f080f10dff8f3ddc80103e432ad8deb0b through before 30d5226bac52073c91ce85c2dcff93b866baefdb (git); 688de12f080f10dff8f3ddc80103e432ad8deb0b through before 62da38b4b3a0dd74a3e0eecf4992d40385924205 (git); 688de12f080f10dff8f3ddc80103e432ad8deb0b through before 30cef9c1229a36a9c80edb29296459849a2fbaa3 (git); 688de12f080f10dff8f3ddc80103e432ad8deb0b through before 3cbfd627ee720f3d2460d2cbe2fe9e4130240db6 (git); 6.9 Fixed: See vendor advisory.

Why it matters

Review the vendor advisory and exposure of the affected product to determine operational impact.

Detection & mitigation

  • Apply vendor-provided updates or mitigations.
  • Review affected product exposure and access logs.

Public PoC references

No public PoC reference has passed the current publication threshold.

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