CVE-2023-54007
Unknown Unknown - Not Provided
Race Condition in Linux vmci_host_poll() Causing Kernel Crash

Publication date: 2025-12-24

Last updated on: 2025-12-24

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: vmci_host: fix a race condition in vmci_host_poll() causing GPF During fuzzing, a general protection fault is observed in vmci_host_poll(). general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc0000000019: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP KASAN KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x00000000000000c8-0x00000000000000cf] RIP: 0010:__lock_acquire+0xf3/0x5e00 kernel/locking/lockdep.c:4926 <- omitting registers -> Call Trace: <TASK> lock_acquire+0x1a4/0x4a0 kernel/locking/lockdep.c:5672 __raw_spin_lock_irqsave include/linux/spinlock_api_smp.h:110 [inline] _raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0xb3/0x100 kernel/locking/spinlock.c:162 add_wait_queue+0x3d/0x260 kernel/sched/wait.c:22 poll_wait include/linux/poll.h:49 [inline] vmci_host_poll+0xf8/0x2b0 drivers/misc/vmw_vmci/vmci_host.c:174 vfs_poll include/linux/poll.h:88 [inline] do_pollfd fs/select.c:873 [inline] do_poll fs/select.c:921 [inline] do_sys_poll+0xc7c/0x1aa0 fs/select.c:1015 __do_sys_ppoll fs/select.c:1121 [inline] __se_sys_ppoll+0x2cc/0x330 fs/select.c:1101 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:51 [inline] do_syscall_64+0x4e/0xa0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:82 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x46/0xb0 Example thread interleaving that causes the general protection fault is as follows: CPU1 (vmci_host_poll) CPU2 (vmci_host_do_init_context) ----- ----- // Read uninitialized context context = vmci_host_dev->context; // Initialize context vmci_host_dev->context = vmci_ctx_create(); vmci_host_dev->ct_type = VMCIOBJ_CONTEXT; if (vmci_host_dev->ct_type == VMCIOBJ_CONTEXT) { // Dereferencing the wrong pointer poll_wait(..., &context->host_context); } In this scenario, vmci_host_poll() reads vmci_host_dev->context first, and then reads vmci_host_dev->ct_type to check that vmci_host_dev->context is initialized. However, since these two reads are not atomically executed, there is a chance of a race condition as described above. To fix this race condition, read vmci_host_dev->context after checking the value of vmci_host_dev->ct_type so that vmci_host_poll() always reads an initialized context.
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Meta Information
Published
2025-12-24
Last Modified
2025-12-24
Generated
2026-05-06
AI Q&A
2025-12-24
EPSS Evaluated
2026-05-05
NVD
CVE-2023-54007
EUVD
EUVD-2025-205148
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 race condition in the Linux kernel's vmci_host_poll() function. It occurs because vmci_host_poll() reads the vmci_host_dev->context pointer before checking if it is properly initialized by reading vmci_host_dev->ct_type. Due to this non-atomic sequence, vmci_host_poll() may dereference an uninitialized or invalid pointer, causing a general protection fault (GPF). The issue arises from concurrent execution where one CPU reads the context while another CPU is initializing it, leading to a null pointer dereference and kernel crash.


How can this vulnerability impact me? :

This vulnerability can cause a general protection fault in the Linux kernel, leading to a kernel crash or system instability. Such crashes can result in denial of service, affecting system availability and potentially causing data loss or interruption of critical services running on the affected system.


What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?

To mitigate this vulnerability, update the Linux kernel to a version where the race condition in vmci_host_poll() has been fixed. This involves applying the patch that ensures vmci_host_poll() reads vmci_host_dev->ct_type before vmci_host_dev->context to avoid dereferencing uninitialized pointers and prevent the general protection fault.


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