CVE-2023-53709
Unknown Unknown - Not Provided
BaseFortify

Publication date: 2025-10-22

Last updated on: 2025-10-22

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ring-buffer: Handle race between rb_move_tail and rb_check_pages It seems a data race between ring_buffer writing and integrity check. That is, RB_FLAG of head_page is been updating, while at same time RB_FLAG was cleared when doing integrity check rb_check_pages(): rb_check_pages() rb_handle_head_page(): -------- -------- rb_head_page_deactivate() rb_head_page_set_normal() rb_head_page_activate() We do intergrity test of the list to check if the list is corrupted and it is still worth doing it. So, let's refactor rb_check_pages() such that we no longer clear and set flag during the list sanity checking. [1] and [2] are the test to reproduce and the crash report respectively. 1: ``` read_trace.sh while true; do # the "trace" file is closed after read head -1 /sys/kernel/tracing/trace > /dev/null done ``` ``` repro.sh sysctl -w kernel.panic_on_warn=1 # function tracer will writing enough data into ring_buffer echo function > /sys/kernel/tracing/current_tracer ./read_trace.sh & ./read_trace.sh & ./read_trace.sh & ./read_trace.sh & ./read_trace.sh & ./read_trace.sh & ./read_trace.sh & ./read_trace.sh & ``` 2: ------------[ cut here ]------------ WARNING: CPU: 9 PID: 62 at kernel/trace/ring_buffer.c:2653 rb_move_tail+0x450/0x470 Modules linked in: CPU: 9 PID: 62 Comm: ksoftirqd/9 Tainted: G W 6.2.0-rc6+ Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.15.0-0-g2dd4b9b3f840-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:rb_move_tail+0x450/0x470 Code: ff ff 4c 89 c8 f0 4d 0f b1 02 48 89 c2 48 83 e2 fc 49 39 d0 75 24 83 e0 03 83 f8 02 0f 84 e1 fb ff ff 48 8b 57 10 f0 ff 42 08 <0f> 0b 83 f8 02 0f 84 ce fb ff ff e9 db RSP: 0018:ffffb5564089bd00 EFLAGS: 00000203 RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffff9db385a2bf81 RCX: ffffb5564089bd18 RDX: ffff9db281110100 RSI: 0000000000000fe4 RDI: ffff9db380145400 RBP: ffff9db385a2bf80 R08: ffff9db385a2bfc0 R09: ffff9db385a2bfc2 R10: ffff9db385a6c000 R11: ffff9db385a2bf80 R12: 0000000000000000 R13: 00000000000003e8 R14: ffff9db281110100 R15: ffffffffbb006108 FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff9db3bdcc0000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 00005602323024c8 CR3: 0000000022e0c000 CR4: 00000000000006e0 Call Trace: <TASK> ring_buffer_lock_reserve+0x136/0x360 ? __do_softirq+0x287/0x2df ? __pfx_rcu_softirq_qs+0x10/0x10 trace_function+0x21/0x110 ? __pfx_rcu_softirq_qs+0x10/0x10 ? __do_softirq+0x287/0x2df function_trace_call+0xf6/0x120 0xffffffffc038f097 ? rcu_softirq_qs+0x5/0x140 rcu_softirq_qs+0x5/0x140 __do_softirq+0x287/0x2df run_ksoftirqd+0x2a/0x30 smpboot_thread_fn+0x188/0x220 ? __pfx_smpboot_thread_fn+0x10/0x10 kthread+0xe7/0x110 ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 ret_from_fork+0x2c/0x50 </TASK> ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]--- [ crash report and test reproducer credit goes to Zheng Yejian]
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Meta Information
Published
2025-10-22
Last Modified
2025-10-22
Generated
2026-05-27
AI Q&A
2025-10-22
EPSS Evaluated
2026-05-25
NVD
CVE-2023-53709
EUVD
EUVD-2023-60019
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel *
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
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KEV
KEV Icon
CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?

This vulnerability is a data race condition in the Linux kernel's ring buffer implementation. Specifically, it occurs between the functions rb_move_tail and rb_check_pages, where the RB_FLAG of the head_page is being updated simultaneously by writing operations and integrity checks. This race can cause inconsistent flag states during list sanity checking, potentially leading to kernel instability or crashes. The fix involves refactoring rb_check_pages to avoid clearing and setting flags during integrity checks.


How can this vulnerability impact me? :

This vulnerability can cause kernel crashes or instability due to the race condition in the ring buffer's handling of flags. If exploited or triggered, it may lead to system crashes or unexpected behavior, affecting system reliability and availability.


How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?

This vulnerability can be detected by reproducing the race condition that causes the kernel crash. The provided repro script uses the Linux kernel tracing subsystem to trigger the issue. You can run the following commands to detect the vulnerability: 1. Continuously read the trace file to simulate ring_buffer activity: ```bash while true; do head -1 /sys/kernel/tracing/trace > /dev/null; done ``` 2. Set the kernel to panic on warnings and enable function tracing, then run multiple instances of the above script: ```bash sysctl -w kernel.panic_on_warn=1 echo function > /sys/kernel/tracing/current_tracer ./read_trace.sh & ./read_trace.sh & ./read_trace.sh & ./read_trace.sh & ./read_trace.sh & ./read_trace.sh & ./read_trace.sh & ./read_trace.sh & ``` If the system crashes or logs warnings related to `rb_move_tail` or ring_buffer, the vulnerability is present.


What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?

Immediate mitigation steps include applying the patch that fixes the race condition in the ring_buffer code by refactoring `rb_check_pages()` to avoid clearing and setting flags during list sanity checking. Until the patch is applied, you can reduce the risk by disabling or limiting kernel function tracing or other tracing features that heavily use the ring_buffer, as these are involved in triggering the race condition. Monitoring kernel logs for warnings related to ring_buffer and avoiding workloads that stress the tracing subsystem can also help mitigate the issue temporarily.


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