ext4: zero i_disksize when initializing the bootloader inode
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 4 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: zero i_disksize when initializing the bootloader inode If the boot loader inode has never been used before, the EXT4_IOC_SWAP_BOOT inode will initialize it, including setting the i_size to 0. However, if the "never before used" boot loader has a non-zero i_size, then i_disksize will be non-zero, and the inconsistency between i_size and i_disksize can trigger a kernel warning: WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 2580 at fs/ext4/file.c:319 CPU: 0 PID: 2580 Comm: bb Not tainted 6.3.0-rc1-00004-g703695902cfa RIP: 0010:ext4_file_write_iter+0xbc7/0xd10 Call Trace: vfs_write+0x3b1/0x5c0 ksys_write+0x77/0x160 __x64_sys_write+0x22/0x30 do_syscall_64+0x39/0x80 Reproducer: 1. create corrupted image and mount it: mke2fs -t ext4 /tmp/foo.img 200 debugfs -wR "sif <5> size 25700" /tmp/foo.img mount -t ext4 /tmp/foo.img /mnt cd /mnt echo 123 > file 2. Run the reproducer program: posix_memalign(&buf, 1024, 1024) fd = open("file", O_RDWR | O_DIRECT); ioctl(fd, EXT4_IOC_SWAP_BOOT); write(fd, buf, 1024); Fix this by setting i_disksize as well as i_size to zero when initiaizing the boot loader inode.
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 | 3.10 and later | 4.14.310, 4.19.278, 5.4.237, 5.10.175, 5.15.103, 6.1.20, 6.2.7, 6.3 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 3.10 and later Fixed in 4.14.310, 4.19.278, 5.4.237, 5.10.175, 5.15.103, 6.1.20, 6.2.7, 6.3 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 2
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 4.14.310; 4.15 to before 4.19.278; 4.20 to before 5.4.237; 5.5 to before 5.10.175; 5.11 to before 5.15.103; 5.16 to before 6.1.20; 6.2 to before 6.2.7 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.3:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.3 rc1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 4.14.310; 4.15 to before 4.19.278; 4.20 to before 5.4.237; 5.5 to before 5.10.175; 5.11 to before 5.15.103; 5.16 to before 6.1.20; 6.2 to before 6.2.7 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.3:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.3 rc1 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 4.14.310, 4.19.278, 5.4.237, 5.10.175, 5.15.103, 6.1.20, 6.2.7, 6.3
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 8 | 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 10
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2023-53101
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-j8pm-fwxh-cj2q
- 2026-11-05 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Patch 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d6c1447e483c05dbcfb3ff77ac04237a82070b8c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/59eee0cdf8c036f554add97a4da7c06d7a9ff34a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0d8a6c9a6415999fee1259ccf1796480c026b7d6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3f00c476da8fe7c4c34ea16abb55d74127120413
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/01a821aacc64d4b05dafd239dbc9b7856686002f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9cb27b1e76f0cc886ac09055bc41c0ab3f205167
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9e9a4cc5486356158554f6ad73027d8635a48b34
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f5361da1e60d54ec81346aee8e3d8baf1be0b762
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-2023-53101 · CVE Program
- CVE-2023-53101 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-j8pm-fwxh-cj2q · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2023-53101 · 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