nfsd: fix handling of cached open files in nfsd4_open codepath
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-476.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfsd: fix handling of cached open files in nfsd4_open codepath Commit fb70bf124b05 ("NFSD: Instantiate a struct file when creating a regular NFSv4 file") added the ability to cache an open fd over a compound. There are a couple of problems with the way this currently works: It's racy, as a newly-created nfsd_file can end up with its PENDING bit cleared while the nf is hashed, and the nf_file pointer is still zeroed out. Other tasks can find it in this state and they expect to see a valid nf_file, and can oops if nf_file is NULL. Also, there is no guarantee that we'll end up creating a new nfsd_file if one is already in the hash. If an extant entry is in the hash with a valid nf_file, nfs4_get_vfs_file will clobber its nf_file pointer with the value of op_file and the old nf_file will leak. Fix both issues by making a new nfsd_file_acquirei_opened variant that takes an optional file pointer. If one is present when this is called, we'll take a new reference to it instead of trying to open the file. If the nfsd_file already has a valid nf_file, we'll just ignore the optional file and pass the nfsd_file back as-is. Also rework the tracepoints a bit to allow for an "opened" variant and don't try to avoid counting acquisitions in the case where we already have a cached open file.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 5.19 and later | 6.1.7, 6.2 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.19 and later Fixed in 6.1.7, 6.2 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 4
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.19 to before 6.1.7 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.2:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.2 rc1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.2:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.2 rc2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.2:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.2 rc3 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.19 to before 6.1.7 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.2:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.2 rc1 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.2:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.2 rc2 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.2:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.2 rc3 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.7, 6.2
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2023-52909
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-qw5v-wmjr-8fpc
- 2026-10-21 EPSS moved to the 50th–90th percentile
References
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2023-52909 · CVE Program
- CVE-2023-52909 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-qw5v-wmjr-8fpc · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2023-52909 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences