blk-cgroup: Reinit blkg_iostat_set after clearing in blkcg_reset_stats()
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 12 fixed, 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-476.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: blk-cgroup: Reinit blkg_iostat_set after clearing in blkcg_reset_stats() When blkg_alloc() is called to allocate a blkcg_gq structure with the associated blkg_iostat_set's, there are 2 fields within blkg_iostat_set that requires proper initialization - blkg & sync. The former field was introduced by commit 3b8cc6298724 ("blk-cgroup: Optimize blkcg_rstat_flush()") while the later one was introduced by commit f73316482977 ("blk-cgroup: reimplement basic IO stats using cgroup rstat"). Unfortunately those fields in the blkg_iostat_set's are not properly re-initialized when they are cleared in v1's blkcg_reset_stats(). This can lead to a kernel panic due to NULL pointer access of the blkg pointer. The missing initialization of sync is less problematic and can be a problem in a debug kernel due to missing lockdep initialization. Fix these problems by re-initializing them after memory clearing.
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
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.258, 5.15.199, 6.1.162, 6.3.13, 6.4.4, 6.5
Red Hat 4 advisories
- RHSA-2024:4823 Released 2024-07-24 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security update
- Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.9.2) kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-284.75.1.el9_2
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.2) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-284.75.1.el9_2, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-284.75.1.el9_2, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-284.75.1.el9_2 +10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.2) bpftool-7.0.0-284.75.1.el9_2, kernel-5.14.0-284.75.1.el9_2, kernel-64k-5.14.0-284.75.1.el9_2 +29
- RHSA-2024:2394 Released 2024-04-30 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4 +11
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) bpftool-7.3.0-427.13.1.el9_4, kernel-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4 +29
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 9) kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4, libperf-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4 +11
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4 +9
- RHSA-2024:1404 Released 2024-03-19 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security and bug fix update
- Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.8.8) kernel-tools-libs-devel-4.18.0-477.51.1.el8_8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.8.8) bpftool-4.18.0-477.51.1.el8_8, kernel-4.18.0-477.51.1.el8_8, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-477.51.1.el8_8 +19
Show 1 more Red Hat advisories
- RHSA-2023:7077 Released 2023-11-14 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 8) kernel-tools-libs-devel-4.18.0-513.5.1.el8_9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) bpftool-4.18.0-513.5.1.el8_9, kernel-4.18.0-513.5.1.el8_9, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-513.5.1.el8_9 +19
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 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7077 |
| Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.8.8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:1404 |
| Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.9.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:4823 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:2394 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:4823 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7077 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:2394 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.8.8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:1404 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:4823 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:2394 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:2394 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:2394 |
Not affected: 2 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2023-53421
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-63xc-pmjj-q4vj
References
Patch 5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0561aa6033dd181594116d705c41fc16e97161a2
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/892faa76be894d324bf48b12a55c7af7be2bad83
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b0d26283af612b9e0cc3188b0b88ad7fdea447e8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/abbce7f82613ea5eeefd0fc3c1c8e449b9cef2a2
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3d2af77e31ade05ff7ccc3658c3635ec1bea0979
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Sources
- CVE-2023-53421 · CVE Program
- CVE-2023-53421 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-63xc-pmjj-q4vj · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2023-53421 · 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