CVE-2023-53765
Unknown Unknown - Not Provided
BaseFortify

Publication date: 2025-12-08

Last updated on: 2025-12-08

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dm cache: free background tracker's queued work in btracker_destroy Otherwise the kernel can BUG with: [ 2245.426978] ============================================================================= [ 2245.435155] BUG bt_work (Tainted: G B W ): Objects remaining in bt_work on __kmem_cache_shutdown() [ 2245.445233] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ 2245.445233] [ 2245.454879] Slab 0x00000000b0ce2b30 objects=64 used=2 fp=0x000000000a3c6a4e flags=0x17ffffc0000200(slab|node=0|zone=2|lastcpupid=0x1fffff) [ 2245.467300] CPU: 7 PID: 10805 Comm: lvm Kdump: loaded Tainted: G B W 6.0.0-rc2 #19 [ 2245.476078] Hardware name: Dell Inc. PowerEdge R7525/0590KW, BIOS 2.5.6 10/06/2021 [ 2245.483646] Call Trace: [ 2245.486100] <TASK> [ 2245.488206] dump_stack_lvl+0x34/0x48 [ 2245.491878] slab_err+0x95/0xcd [ 2245.495028] __kmem_cache_shutdown.cold+0x31/0x136 [ 2245.499821] kmem_cache_destroy+0x49/0x130 [ 2245.503928] btracker_destroy+0x12/0x20 [dm_cache] [ 2245.508728] smq_destroy+0x15/0x60 [dm_cache_smq] [ 2245.513435] dm_cache_policy_destroy+0x12/0x20 [dm_cache] [ 2245.518834] destroy+0xc0/0x110 [dm_cache] [ 2245.522933] dm_table_destroy+0x5c/0x120 [dm_mod] [ 2245.527649] __dm_destroy+0x10e/0x1c0 [dm_mod] [ 2245.532102] dev_remove+0x117/0x190 [dm_mod] [ 2245.536384] ctl_ioctl+0x1a2/0x290 [dm_mod] [ 2245.540579] dm_ctl_ioctl+0xa/0x20 [dm_mod] [ 2245.544773] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x8a/0xc0 [ 2245.548524] do_syscall_64+0x5c/0x90 [ 2245.552104] ? syscall_exit_to_user_mode+0x12/0x30 [ 2245.556897] ? do_syscall_64+0x69/0x90 [ 2245.560648] ? do_syscall_64+0x69/0x90 [ 2245.564394] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd [ 2245.569447] RIP: 0033:0x7fe52583ec6b ... [ 2245.646771] ------------[ cut here ]------------ [ 2245.651395] kmem_cache_destroy bt_work: Slab cache still has objects when called from btracker_destroy+0x12/0x20 [dm_cache] [ 2245.651408] WARNING: CPU: 7 PID: 10805 at mm/slab_common.c:478 kmem_cache_destroy+0x128/0x130 Found using: lvm2-testsuite --only "cache-single-split.sh" Ben bisected and found that commit 0495e337b703 ("mm/slab_common: Deleting kobject in kmem_cache_destroy() without holding slab_mutex/cpu_hotplug_lock") first exposed dm-cache's incomplete cleanup of its background tracker work objects.
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Meta Information
Published
2025-12-08
Last Modified
2025-12-08
Generated
2026-05-07
AI Q&A
2025-12-08
EPSS Evaluated
2026-05-05
NVD
CVE-2023-53765
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel 6.0.0-rc2
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel's dm-cache component involves improper cleanup of background tracker work objects. Specifically, the kernel fails to free queued work in the background tracker during destruction, which can cause the kernel to BUG (crash) due to objects remaining in the work queue when the slab cache is shut down.


How can this vulnerability impact me? :

This vulnerability can cause the Linux kernel to crash (BUG) when the dm-cache background tracker does not properly free its queued work objects. Such crashes can lead to system instability, potential downtime, and data loss depending on the environment where the kernel is running.


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

This vulnerability can be detected by monitoring the kernel logs for specific BUG messages related to dm_cache and background tracker work objects. Look for log entries similar to: '[ 2245.426978] BUG bt_work (Tainted: G B W ): Objects remaining in bt_work on __kmem_cache_shutdown()' or warnings about 'kmem_cache_destroy bt_work: Slab cache still has objects when called from btracker_destroy'. You can use the command 'dmesg | grep -i dm_cache' or 'journalctl -k | grep -i dm_cache' to check for these messages in the kernel logs.


What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?

Immediate mitigation involves updating the Linux kernel to a version where this vulnerability is resolved, as the issue is fixed by freeing the background tracker's queued work in btracker_destroy. Until an update is applied, monitoring for the described kernel BUG messages and avoiding workloads that trigger dm_cache background tracker destruction may reduce risk.


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