CVEvulnerability
CVE-2023-53419
5.5 MEDIUM
Official page ↗
- Status
- Modified
- Published
- 2025-09-18
- Last modified
- 2026-06-17
- Assigner
- 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
- CVSS 3.1 ([email protected])
- 5.5 MEDIUM — CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- CVSS 3.1 (134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0)
- 5.5 MEDIUM — CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- Weaknesses
- CWE-476
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
rcu: Protect rcu_print_task_exp_stall() ->exp_tasks access
For kernels built with CONFIG_PREEMPT_RCU=y, the following scenario can
result in a NULL-pointer dereference:
CPU1 CPU2
rcu_preempt_deferred_qs_irqrestore rcu_print_task_exp_stall
if (special.b.blocked) READ_ONCE(rnp->exp_tasks) != NULL
raw_spin_lock_rcu_node
np = rcu_next_node_entry(t, rnp)
if (&t->rcu_node_entry == rnp->exp_tasks)
WRITE_ONCE(rnp->exp_tasks, np)
....
raw_spin_unlock_irqrestore_rcu_node
raw_spin_lock_irqsave_rcu_node
t = list_entry(rnp->exp_tasks->prev,
struct task_struct, rcu_node_entry)
(if rnp->exp_tasks is NULL, this
will dereference a NULL pointer)
The problem is that CPU2 accesses the rcu_node structure's->exp_tasks
field without holding the rcu_node structure's ->lock and CPU2 did
not observe CPU1's change to rcu_node structure's ->exp_tasks in time.
Therefore, if CPU1 sets rcu_node structure's->exp_tasks pointer to NULL,
then CPU2 might dereference that NULL pointer.
This commit therefore holds the rcu_node structure's ->lock while
accessing that structure's->exp_tasks field.
[ paulmck: Apply Frederic Weisbecker feedback. ]
Affected configurations
• linux linux kernel (< 5.10.181)
• linux linux kernel (>= 5.11 < 5.15.113)
• linux linux kernel (>= 5.16 < 6.1.30)
• linux linux kernel (>= 6.2 < 6.3.4)
Related
Weakness · CWE (1)
- CWE-476 NULL Pointer Dereference weakness
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2bc0ae94ef1f9ed322d8ee439de3239ea3632ab2 Patch
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c1566bca3f8349f12b75d0a2d5e4a20ad6262ec Patch
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a7d21b8585894e6fff973f6ddae42f02b13f600f Patch
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d0a8c0e31a09ec1efd53079083e2a677956b4d91 Patch
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e30a55e98ae6c44253d8b129efefd5da5bc6e3bc Patch