Memory Leak in Linux Kernel Ethernet Driver for TI AM65 CPSW

CVE-2025-21788

Summary

A vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's TI AM65 CPSW ethernet driver, where memory allocated for SKB structures is not properly managed in certain XDP (eXpress Data Path) scenarios. Specifically, if the XDP program does not yield an XDP_PASS result, the associated memory remains unreleased, leading to a memory leak. This inefficiency incurs unnecessary CPU overhead due to the preemptive allocation of SKB memory. By adjusting the SKB allocation to occur only after evaluating the XDP program result, this flaw has been rectified, resulting in enhanced performance metrics, notably increasing packet reception rates during XDP_DROP tests.

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