CVE-2023-53401
Unknown Unknown - Not Provided
BaseFortify

Publication date: 2025-09-18

Last updated on: 2025-12-11

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm: kmem: fix a NULL pointer dereference in obj_stock_flush_required() KCSAN found an issue in obj_stock_flush_required(): stock->cached_objcg can be reset between the check and dereference: ================================================================== BUG: KCSAN: data-race in drain_all_stock / drain_obj_stock write to 0xffff888237c2a2f8 of 8 bytes by task 19625 on cpu 0: drain_obj_stock+0x408/0x4e0 mm/memcontrol.c:3306 refill_obj_stock+0x9c/0x1e0 mm/memcontrol.c:3340 obj_cgroup_uncharge+0xe/0x10 mm/memcontrol.c:3408 memcg_slab_free_hook mm/slab.h:587 [inline] __cache_free mm/slab.c:3373 [inline] __do_kmem_cache_free mm/slab.c:3577 [inline] kmem_cache_free+0x105/0x280 mm/slab.c:3602 __d_free fs/dcache.c:298 [inline] dentry_free fs/dcache.c:375 [inline] __dentry_kill+0x422/0x4a0 fs/dcache.c:621 dentry_kill+0x8d/0x1e0 dput+0x118/0x1f0 fs/dcache.c:913 __fput+0x3bf/0x570 fs/file_table.c:329 ____fput+0x15/0x20 fs/file_table.c:349 task_work_run+0x123/0x160 kernel/task_work.c:179 resume_user_mode_work include/linux/resume_user_mode.h:49 [inline] exit_to_user_mode_loop+0xcf/0xe0 kernel/entry/common.c:171 exit_to_user_mode_prepare+0x6a/0xa0 kernel/entry/common.c:203 __syscall_exit_to_user_mode_work kernel/entry/common.c:285 [inline] syscall_exit_to_user_mode+0x26/0x140 kernel/entry/common.c:296 do_syscall_64+0x4d/0xc0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:86 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd read to 0xffff888237c2a2f8 of 8 bytes by task 19632 on cpu 1: obj_stock_flush_required mm/memcontrol.c:3319 [inline] drain_all_stock+0x174/0x2a0 mm/memcontrol.c:2361 try_charge_memcg+0x6d0/0xd10 mm/memcontrol.c:2703 try_charge mm/memcontrol.c:2837 [inline] mem_cgroup_charge_skmem+0x51/0x140 mm/memcontrol.c:7290 sock_reserve_memory+0xb1/0x390 net/core/sock.c:1025 sk_setsockopt+0x800/0x1e70 net/core/sock.c:1525 udp_lib_setsockopt+0x99/0x6c0 net/ipv4/udp.c:2692 udp_setsockopt+0x73/0xa0 net/ipv4/udp.c:2817 sock_common_setsockopt+0x61/0x70 net/core/sock.c:3668 __sys_setsockopt+0x1c3/0x230 net/socket.c:2271 __do_sys_setsockopt net/socket.c:2282 [inline] __se_sys_setsockopt net/socket.c:2279 [inline] __x64_sys_setsockopt+0x66/0x80 net/socket.c:2279 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:50 [inline] do_syscall_64+0x41/0xc0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:80 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd value changed: 0xffff8881382d52c0 -> 0xffff888138893740 Reported by Kernel Concurrency Sanitizer on: CPU: 1 PID: 19632 Comm: syz-executor.0 Not tainted 6.3.0-rc2-syzkaller-00387-g534293368afa #0 Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 03/02/2023 Fix it by using READ_ONCE()/WRITE_ONCE() for all accesses to stock->cached_objcg.
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Meta Information
Published
2025-09-18
Last Modified
2025-12-11
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2025-09-18
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-15
NVD
CVE-2023-53401
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 2 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel From 5.9 (inc) to 6.1.45 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.2 (inc) to 6.4.10 (exc)
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-476 The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.
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Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel's memory management code, specifically in the function obj_stock_flush_required(). It occurs because the stock->cached_objcg pointer can be reset between the time it is checked and when it is dereferenced, leading to a data race condition. This issue was detected by the Kernel Concurrency Sanitizer (KCSAN) and can cause kernel crashes or instability.

Impact Analysis

The vulnerability can cause the Linux kernel to crash or behave unpredictably due to a NULL pointer dereference caused by a data race. This can lead to system instability, potential denial of service, or unexpected behavior in applications relying on the kernel's memory management.

Mitigation Strategies

The vulnerability can be mitigated by applying the fix that uses READ_ONCE()/WRITE_ONCE() for all accesses to stock->cached_objcg in the Linux kernel source code. This involves updating the kernel to a version that includes this fix.

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