CVE-2023-54306
Deadlock Vulnerability in Linux Kernel TLS Causing Task Hang
Publication date: 2025-12-30
Last updated on: 2025-12-30
Assigner: kernel.org
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
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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 in the Linux kernel's network TLS code involves a situation where a task can hang because the transmit lock (tx_lock) is held and not released. An adversarial receiver may keep the receive window (RWIN) at zero for a long time, preventing forward progress. As a result, a thread that took the tx_lock and then went to sleep may not release the lock for hours, causing a hang. The fix involves using interruptible sleep and rescheduling work if the lock cannot be taken.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
This vulnerability can cause tasks in the Linux kernel to hang for extended periods, potentially leading to degraded system performance or denial of service conditions where network transmissions are stalled due to the tx_lock not being released.
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
Apply the Linux kernel update that includes the fix for this vulnerability, which changes the tx_lock handling to use interruptible sleep and reschedules work if the lock cannot be taken, preventing tasks from hanging indefinitely.