CVE-2023-53862
Unknown Unknown - Not Provided
BaseFortify

Publication date: 2025-12-09

Last updated on: 2025-12-09

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: hfs: fix missing hfs_bnode_get() in __hfs_bnode_create Syzbot found a kernel BUG in hfs_bnode_put(): kernel BUG at fs/hfs/bnode.c:466! invalid opcode: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP KASAN CPU: 0 PID: 3634 Comm: kworker/u4:5 Not tainted 6.1.0-rc7-syzkaller-00190-g97ee9d1c1696 #0 Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 10/26/2022 Workqueue: writeback wb_workfn (flush-7:0) RIP: 0010:hfs_bnode_put+0x46f/0x480 fs/hfs/bnode.c:466 Code: 8a 80 ff e9 73 fe ff ff 89 d9 80 e1 07 80 c1 03 38 c1 0f 8c a0 fe ff ff 48 89 df e8 db 8a 80 ff e9 93 fe ff ff e8 a1 68 2c ff <0f> 0b e8 9a 68 2c ff 0f 0b 0f 1f 84 00 00 00 00 00 55 41 57 41 56 RSP: 0018:ffffc90003b4f258 EFLAGS: 00010293 RAX: ffffffff825e318f RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: ffff8880739dd7c0 RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: 0000000000000000 RBP: ffffc90003b4f430 R08: ffffffff825e2d9b R09: ffffed10045157d1 R10: ffffed10045157d1 R11: 1ffff110045157d0 R12: ffff8880228abe80 R13: ffff88807016c000 R14: dffffc0000000000 R15: ffff8880228abe00 FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff8880b9800000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 00007fa6ebe88718 CR3: 000000001e93d000 CR4: 00000000003506f0 DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000 DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400 Call Trace: <TASK> hfs_write_inode+0x1bc/0xb40 write_inode fs/fs-writeback.c:1440 [inline] __writeback_single_inode+0x4d6/0x670 fs/fs-writeback.c:1652 writeback_sb_inodes+0xb3b/0x18f0 fs/fs-writeback.c:1878 __writeback_inodes_wb+0x125/0x420 fs/fs-writeback.c:1949 wb_writeback+0x440/0x7b0 fs/fs-writeback.c:2054 wb_check_start_all fs/fs-writeback.c:2176 [inline] wb_do_writeback fs/fs-writeback.c:2202 [inline] wb_workfn+0x827/0xef0 fs/fs-writeback.c:2235 process_one_work+0x877/0xdb0 kernel/workqueue.c:2289 worker_thread+0xb14/0x1330 kernel/workqueue.c:2436 kthread+0x266/0x300 kernel/kthread.c:376 ret_from_fork+0x1f/0x30 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:306 </TASK> The BUG_ON() is triggered at here: /* Dispose of resources used by a node */ void hfs_bnode_put(struct hfs_bnode *node) { if (node) { <skipped> BUG_ON(!atomic_read(&node->refcnt)); <- we have issue here!!!! <skipped> } } By tracing the refcnt, I found the node is created by hfs_bmap_alloc() with refcnt 1. Then the node is used by hfs_btree_write(). There is a missing of hfs_bnode_get() after find the node. The issue happened in following path: <alloc> hfs_bmap_alloc hfs_bnode_find __hfs_bnode_create <- allocate a new node with refcnt 1. hfs_bnode_put <- decrease the refcnt <write> hfs_btree_write hfs_bnode_find __hfs_bnode_create hfs_bnode_findhash <- find the node without refcnt increased. hfs_bnode_put <- trigger the BUG_ON() since refcnt is 0.
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Meta Information
Published
2025-12-09
Last Modified
2025-12-09
Generated
2026-05-07
AI Q&A
2025-12-09
EPSS Evaluated
2026-05-05
NVD
CVE-2023-53862
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel *
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 is a bug in the Linux kernel's HFS filesystem code where a reference count (refcnt) for a node is not properly incremented after the node is found. Specifically, after a node is created with a reference count of 1, the code fails to call hfs_bnode_get() to increase the reference count when the node is found again. As a result, when hfs_bnode_put() is called to decrease the reference count, it triggers a kernel BUG because the reference count reaches zero unexpectedly. This bug can cause kernel crashes due to invalid operations on the node's reference count.


How can this vulnerability impact me? :

This vulnerability can cause the Linux kernel to crash or become unstable when using the HFS filesystem, leading to potential denial of service. Since it triggers a kernel BUG due to improper reference counting, it may cause system crashes or unexpected behavior during filesystem operations, impacting system reliability and availability.


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

This vulnerability manifests as a kernel BUG related to the hfs_bnode_put() function in the Linux kernel, specifically triggering BUG_ON() due to a reference count reaching zero unexpectedly. Detection involves monitoring kernel logs for BUG messages referencing fs/hfs/bnode.c at line 466 or related stack traces. You can check kernel logs using commands like: dmesg | grep 'hfs_bnode_put' or journalctl -k | grep 'hfs_bnode_put'. Additionally, monitoring for kernel BUG messages or invalid opcode errors in the logs can help identify the issue.


What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?

The immediate mitigation is to update the Linux kernel to a version where this vulnerability is fixed, as the issue is resolved by adding the missing hfs_bnode_get() call in the kernel source. Until an update is applied, avoid using the HFS filesystem features that trigger this bug or unmount any HFS filesystems to prevent triggering the kernel BUG. Monitoring and restricting workloads that use HFS filesystems can also reduce risk.


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