CVE-2023-53566
Unknown Unknown - Not Provided
BaseFortify

Publication date: 2025-10-04

Last updated on: 2026-03-21

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nft_set_rbtree: fix null deref on element insertion There is no guarantee that rb_prev() will not return NULL in nft_rbtree_gc_elem(): general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc0000000003: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP KASAN KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000018-0x000000000000001f] nft_add_set_elem+0x14b0/0x2990 nf_tables_newsetelem+0x528/0xb30 Furthermore, there is a possible use-after-free while iterating, 'node' can be free'd so we need to cache the next value to use.
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Meta Information
Published
2025-10-04
Last Modified
2026-03-21
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2025-10-04
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-15
NVD
CVE-2023-53566
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 3 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel 6.2
linux linux_kernel 6.4
linux linux_kernel From 5.15.160 (inc) to 5.16 (inc)
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 flaw in the Linux kernel's netfilter component, specifically in the nft_set_rbtree function. It involves a null pointer dereference during element insertion because there is no guarantee that the rb_prev() function will not return NULL in nft_rbtree_gc_elem(). This can lead to a general protection fault. Additionally, there is a possible use-after-free issue during iteration where a 'node' can be freed unexpectedly, requiring caching of the next value to avoid errors.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can cause the Linux kernel to crash or behave unpredictably due to null pointer dereference and use-after-free errors. This may lead to denial of service or system instability, potentially affecting the availability and reliability of systems running vulnerable versions of the Linux kernel.

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