CVE-2024-53048

What it actually does

Driver assumes fixed static dpll pin count for E810 LOM hardware; when vendor LOM enables more pins than expected, ice_dpll_get_pins passes invalid data to dpll_pin_get causing invalid_op exception and kernel crash during probe.

Why it matters to the business

Systems using affected DPLL-enabled E810 LOM hardware experience boot or module-load failures, leading to extended downtime and requiring hardware or driver workarounds until updated kernels are deployed.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker with local access or ability to trigger driver probe on vulnerable hardware simply loads the ice module or boots the system; the mismatch between static driver pin definitions and actual firmware-reported pins triggers the crash path inside the dpll subsystem.

How to fix it

Update to kernel containing commit 82b107a27bab29146e159b6b9f21146c97c45a53 or later; apply vendor backports that replace static pin initialization with per-HW-design dynamic acquisition from firmware. Reboot after install and verify ice module loads without dpll warnings.

How to confirm the fix worked

Confirm kernel version contains the referenced commit; load ice driver on target LOM hardware and ensure no dpll_pin_get warnings appear in dmesg; monitor for successful probe and functional network/DPLL operation.

Typical attack path

1. Obtain local execution or physical access to target host with affected E810 LOM
2. Trigger ice driver probe (modprobe, interface up, or reboot)
3. Driver reads static pin limits instead of dynamic firmware data
4. ice_dpll_get_pins supplies out-of-range pin index to dpll_pin_get
5. Kernel hits WARNING and BUG in dpll_core.c resulting in probe failure or panic

How to detect it

Search kernel logs for the exact WARNING at drivers/dpll/dpll_core.c:495 combined with ice_dpll_get_pins.isra.0 call trace; correlate with ice module load events and E810 LOM device enumeration.

• WARNING: at drivers/dpll/dpll_core.c:495 dpll_pin_get
• ice_dpll_get_pins.isra.0+0x52/0xe0 [ice]
• dpll_pin_get+0x2c4/0x330
• asm_exc_invalid_op

What your security team should do

• Prioritize kernel updates on all hosts using E810 LOM hardware within standard change windows
• Add dmesg monitoring for dpll_core.c and ice_dpll_get_pins warnings to detect exposure
• Test updated kernels in staging environments with representative LOM configurations before broad rollout
• Document hardware SKUs that require the dynamic pin initialization fix for future procurement