CVE-2023-54119
Inotify Use-After-Free in Linux Kernel Causes Event Corruption
Publication date: 2025-12-24
Last updated on: 2025-12-24
Assigner: kernel.org
Description
Description
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Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| linux | linux_kernel | * |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-UNKNOWN |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability occurs in the Linux kernel's inotify subsystem. When two functions, inotify_freeing_mark() and inotify_handle_inode_event(), run concurrently, a race condition can cause inotify_handle_inode_event() to report an invalid watch descriptor (wd) value of -1 to userspace. This invalid value can confuse the inotify listener because it indicates an event related to a watch that has already been removed. The fix involves validating the wd to ensure it is sensible before reporting events.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
This vulnerability can cause userspace applications that rely on inotify to receive incorrect or confusing event notifications due to invalid watch descriptor values. This may lead to improper handling of filesystem events, potentially causing application errors or unexpected behavior when monitoring file system changes.