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🛡️ CVE-2023-53021 — kernel

🟠 CVSS 7.8 — High ✅ No Known Exploit NVD
7.8
CVSS Score
0 Low4 Medium7 High9 Critical10

Description

net/sched: sch_taprio: fix possible use-after-free

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net/sched: sch_taprio: fix possible use-after-free

syzbot reported a nasty crash [1] in net_tx_action() which

made little sense until we got a repro.

This repro installs a taprio qdisc, but providing an

invalid TCA_RATE attribute.

qdisc_create() has to destroy the just initialized

taprio qdisc, and taprio_destroy() is called.

However, the hrtimer used by taprio had already fired,

therefore advance_sched() called __netif_schedule().

Then net_tx_action was trying to use a destroyed qdisc.

We can not undo the __netif_schedule(), so we must wait

until one cpu serviced the qdisc before we can proceed.

Many thanks to Alexander Potapenko for his help.

[1]

BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in queued_spin_trylock include/asm-generic/qspinlock.h:94 [inline]

BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in do_raw_spin_trylock include/linux/spinlock.h:191 [inline]

BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in __raw_spin_trylock include/linux/spinlock_api_smp.h:89 [inline]

BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in _raw_spin_trylock+0x92/0xa0 kernel/locking/spinlock.c:138

queued_spin_trylock include/asm-generic/qspinlock.h:94 [inline]

do_raw_spin_trylock include/linux/spinlock.h:191 [inline]

__raw_spin_trylock include/linux/spinlock_api_smp.h:89 [inline]

_raw_spin_trylock+0x92/0xa0 kernel/locking/spinlock.c:138

spin_trylock include/linux/spinlock.h:359 [inline]

qdisc_run_begin include/net/sch_generic.h:187 [inline]

qdisc_run+0xee/0x540 include/net/pkt_sched.h:125

net_tx_action+0x77c/0x9a0 net/core/dev.c:5086

__do_softirq+0x1cc/0x7fb kernel/softirq.c:571

run_ksoftirqd+0x2c/0x50 kernel/softirq.c:934

smpboot_thread_fn+0x554/0x9f0 kernel/smpboot.c:164

kthread+0x31b/0x430 kernel/kthread.c:376

ret_from_fork+0x1f/0x30

Uninit was created at:

slab_post_alloc_hook mm/slab.h:732 [inline]

slab_alloc_node mm/slub.c:3258 [inline]

__kmalloc_node_track_caller+0x814/0x1250 mm/slub.c:4970

kmalloc_reserve net/core/skbuff.c:358 [inline]

__alloc_skb+0x346/0xcf0 net/core/skbuff.c:430

alloc_skb include/linux/skbuff.h:1257 [inline]

nlmsg_new include/net/netlink.h:953 [inline]

netlink_ack+0x5f3/0x12b0 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2436

netlink_rcv_skb+0x55d/0x6c0 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2507

rtnetlink_rcv+0x30/0x40 net/core/rtnetlink.c:6108

netlink_unicast_kernel net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1319 [inline]

netlink_unicast+0xf3b/0x1270 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1345

netlink_sendmsg+0x1288/0x1440 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1921

sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:714 [inline]

sock_sendmsg net/socket.c:734 [inline]

____sys_sendmsg+0xabc/0xe90 net/socket.c:2482

___sys_sendmsg+0x2a1/0x3f0 net/socket.c:2536

__sys_sendmsg net/socket.c:2565 [inline]

__do_sys_sendmsg net/socket.c:2574 [inline]

__se_sys_sendmsg net/socket.c:2572 [inline]

__x64_sys_sendmsg+0x367/0x540 net/socket.c:2572

do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:50 [inline]

do_syscall_64+0x3d/0xb0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:80

entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd

CPU: 0 PID: 13 Comm: ksoftirqd/0 Not tainted 6.0.0-rc2-syzkaller-47461-gac3859c02d7f #0

Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 07/22/2022

How this vulnerability can be exploited

This issue can be reached with local access to the system, attack complexity is low, an attacker needs low-level privileges on the target. No user interaction is required. The scope is unchanged, so the impact stays within the vulnerable component. Rated impact: confidentiality high, integrity high, availability high.

CVSS metrics in full

The score comes from this vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

  • Attack vector: Local — a local account, shell or session on the host is needed.
  • Attack complexity: Low — the attack works reliably, with no preparation.
  • Privileges required: Low — an ordinary user account is enough.
  • User interaction: None — nobody has to be tricked into anything.
  • Scope: Unchanged — the damage stays inside the vulnerable component.
  • Confidentiality impact: High — total loss, or loss the attacker controls.
  • Integrity impact: High — total loss, or loss the attacker controls.
  • Availability impact: High — total loss, or loss the attacker controls.

Affected software

CVE-2023-53021 is recorded against 2 packages.

  • kernel (from 5.16.0 up to 6.1.9)
  • linux-kernel

Timeline and source

Published on 27 March 2025 and last revised on 12 August 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. A vendor advisory or fix has been published. Record sourced from NVD.

References

git.kernel.org (Web)
git.kernel.org (Web)
git.kernel.org (Web)
git.kernel.org (Web)
git.kernel.org (Web)
github.com (Advisory)
nvd.nist.gov (Advisory)
git.kernel.org (Package)

Other advisories for this package

kernel has other advisories on record. If you are patching this one, these are worth checking on the same host:

CVE-2023-53021 on other distributions

Each distribution ships its own build and its own fixed version. Pick the one you run:

Details

Severity High
CVSS Score 7.8
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CWE N/A
Public Exploit ✅ No
Source NVD
Published 2025-03-27
Updated 2026-08-20
Modified 2026-08-12

Affected Packages

Software From version Fixed in
kernel 5.16.0 6.1.9
linux-kernel — —

Similar Threats

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