CVE-2023-53583
Unknown Unknown - Not Provided
BaseFortify

Publication date: 2025-10-04

Last updated on: 2026-03-23

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf: RISC-V: Remove PERF_HES_STOPPED flag checking in riscv_pmu_start() Since commit 096b52fd2bb4 ("perf: RISC-V: throttle perf events") the perf_sample_event_took() function was added to report time spent in overflow interrupts. If the interrupt takes too long, the perf framework will lower the sysctl_perf_event_sample_rate and max_samples_per_tick. When hwc->interrupts is larger than max_samples_per_tick, the hwc->interrupts will be set to MAX_INTERRUPTS, and events will be throttled within the __perf_event_account_interrupt() function. However, the RISC-V PMU driver doesn't call riscv_pmu_stop() to update the PERF_HES_STOPPED flag after perf_event_overflow() in pmu_sbi_ovf_handler() function to avoid throttling. When the perf framework unthrottled the event in the timer interrupt handler, it triggers riscv_pmu_start() function and causes a WARN_ON_ONCE() warning, as shown below: ------------[ cut here ]------------ WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 240 at drivers/perf/riscv_pmu.c:184 riscv_pmu_start+0x7c/0x8e Modules linked in: CPU: 0 PID: 240 Comm: ls Not tainted 6.4-rc4-g19d0788e9ef2 #1 Hardware name: SiFive (DT) epc : riscv_pmu_start+0x7c/0x8e ra : riscv_pmu_start+0x28/0x8e epc : ffffffff80aef864 ra : ffffffff80aef810 sp : ffff8f80004db6f0 gp : ffffffff81c83750 tp : ffffaf80069f9bc0 t0 : ffff8f80004db6c0 t1 : 0000000000000000 t2 : 000000000000001f s0 : ffff8f80004db720 s1 : ffffaf8008ca1068 a0 : 0000ffffffffffff a1 : 0000000000000000 a2 : 0000000000000001 a3 : 0000000000000870 a4 : 0000000000000000 a5 : 0000000000000000 a6 : 0000000000000840 a7 : 0000000000000030 s2 : 0000000000000000 s3 : ffffaf8005165800 s4 : ffffaf800424da00 s5 : ffffffffffffffff s6 : ffffffff81cc7590 s7 : 0000000000000000 s8 : 0000000000000006 s9 : 0000000000000001 s10: ffffaf807efbc340 s11: ffffaf807efbbf00 t3 : ffffaf8006a16028 t4 : 00000000dbfbb796 t5 : 0000000700000000 t6 : ffffaf8005269870 status: 0000000200000100 badaddr: 0000000000000000 cause: 0000000000000003 [<ffffffff80aef864>] riscv_pmu_start+0x7c/0x8e [<ffffffff80185b56>] perf_adjust_freq_unthr_context+0x15e/0x174 [<ffffffff80188642>] perf_event_task_tick+0x88/0x9c [<ffffffff800626a8>] scheduler_tick+0xfe/0x27c [<ffffffff800b5640>] update_process_times+0x9a/0xba [<ffffffff800c5bd4>] tick_sched_handle+0x32/0x66 [<ffffffff800c5e0c>] tick_sched_timer+0x64/0xb0 [<ffffffff800b5e50>] __hrtimer_run_queues+0x156/0x2f4 [<ffffffff800b6bdc>] hrtimer_interrupt+0xe2/0x1fe [<ffffffff80acc9e8>] riscv_timer_interrupt+0x38/0x42 [<ffffffff80090a16>] handle_percpu_devid_irq+0x90/0x1d2 [<ffffffff8008a9f4>] generic_handle_domain_irq+0x28/0x36 After referring other PMU drivers like Arm, Loongarch, Csky, and Mips, they don't call *_pmu_stop() to update with PERF_HES_STOPPED flag after perf_event_overflow() function nor do they add PERF_HES_STOPPED flag checking in *_pmu_start() which don't cause this warning. Thus, it's recommended to remove this unnecessary check in riscv_pmu_start() function to prevent this warning.
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Meta Information
Published
2025-10-04
Last Modified
2026-03-23
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2025-10-04
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-15
NVD
CVE-2023-53583
EUVD
EUVD-2025-32303
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 3 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel 6.5
linux linux_kernel From 6.2 (inc) to 6.4.5 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.1 (inc) to 6.1.40 (exc)
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Exploitability
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN
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Executive Summary

This vulnerability involves the Linux kernel's perf subsystem on RISC-V architectures. The issue arises because the RISC-V PMU driver does not properly update a flag (PERF_HES_STOPPED) after handling performance event overflows, unlike other PMU drivers. This causes a warning (WARN_ON_ONCE) when the perf framework attempts to restart throttled events, due to an unnecessary check in the riscv_pmu_start() function. The recommended fix is to remove this unnecessary flag check to prevent the warning.

Impact Analysis

The impact of this vulnerability is primarily a kernel warning (WARN_ON_ONCE) triggered during performance event handling on RISC-V systems. This warning could indicate improper handling of performance monitoring events, potentially leading to inaccurate performance data or system instability related to perf event throttling. However, it does not describe a direct security breach or exploit but rather a functional issue causing warnings and possible performance monitoring inaccuracies.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability can be detected by observing kernel warning messages related to the perf subsystem on RISC-V architectures. Specifically, look for WARN_ON_ONCE() warnings in the kernel logs mentioning riscv_pmu_start() in drivers/perf/riscv_pmu.c. You can check for these warnings using the command: dmesg | grep riscv_pmu_start

Mitigation Strategies

The immediate mitigation is to update the Linux kernel to a version that includes the fix removing the PERF_HES_STOPPED flag checking in riscv_pmu_start(). This prevents the warning and potential issues caused by the incorrect handling of perf events on RISC-V. Until then, monitoring for the warning and avoiding heavy use of perf events on RISC-V systems may reduce impact.

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