CVE-2023-54317
Unknown Unknown - Not Provided

Zero Page Corruption in Linux dm-flakey Causes Memory Errors

Publication date: 2025-12-30

Last updated on: 2025-12-30

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dm flakey: don't corrupt the zero page When we need to zero some range on a block device, the function __blkdev_issue_zero_pages submits a write bio with the bio vector pointing to the zero page. If we use dm-flakey with corrupt bio writes option, it will corrupt the content of the zero page which results in crashes of various userspace programs. Glibc assumes that memory returned by mmap is zeroed and it uses it for calloc implementation; if the newly mapped memory is not zeroed, calloc will return non-zeroed memory. Fix this bug by testing if the page is equal to ZERO_PAGE(0) and avoiding the corruption in this case.

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Meta Information

Published
2025-12-30
Last Modified
2025-12-30
Generated
2026-07-06
AI Q&A
2025-12-30
EPSS Evaluated
2026-07-05
NVD
CVE-2023-54317
EUVD
EUVD-2023-60487

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel *

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Exploitability

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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, update the Linux kernel to a version that includes the fix for the dm-flakey zero page corruption issue. Avoid using the dm-flakey device mapper with the corrupt bio writes option until the fix is applied.

Executive Summary

This vulnerability occurs in the Linux kernel's dm-flakey device-mapper target when using the corrupt bio writes option. Specifically, when zeroing a range on a block device, the zero page (a memory page filled with zeros) can be corrupted. This happens because dm-flakey corrupts the content of the zero page, which should remain unchanged. As a result, programs relying on zeroed memory, such as those using calloc via glibc, may receive non-zeroed memory, leading to crashes and unexpected behavior.

Impact Analysis

The vulnerability can cause crashes in various userspace programs that assume memory returned by mmap is zeroed, such as those using calloc. This can lead to instability and unpredictable behavior in applications relying on zeroed memory, potentially causing data corruption or application failures.

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