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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2023-53022

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-03-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.15.91 / 6.1.9 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: enetc: avoid deadlock in enetc_tx_onestep_tstamp() This lockdep splat says it better than I could: ================================ WARNING: inconsistent lock state 6.2.0-rc2-07010-ga9b9500ffaac-dirty #967 Not tainted -------------------------------- inconsistent {IN-SOFTIRQ-W} -> {SOFTIRQ-ON-W} usage. kworker/1:3/179 [HC0[0]:SC0[0]:HE1:SE1] takes: ffff3ec4036ce098 (_xmit_ETHER#2){+.?.}-{3:3}, at: netif_freeze_queues+0x5c/0xc0 {IN-SOFTIRQ-W} state was registered at: _raw_spin_lock+0x5c/0xc0 sch_direct_xmit+0x148/0x37c __dev_queue_xmit+0x528/0x111c ip6_finish_output2+0x5ec/0xb7c ip6_finish_output+0x240/0x3f0 ip6_output+0x78/0x360 ndisc_send_skb+0x33c/0x85c ndisc_send_rs+0x54/0x12c addrconf_rs_timer+0x154/0x260 call_timer_fn+0xb8/0x3a0 __run_timers.part.0+0x214/0x26c run_timer_softirq+0x3c/0x74 __do_softirq+0x14c/0x5d8 ____do_softirq+0x10/0x20 call_on_irq_stack+0x2c/0x5c do_softirq_own_stack+0x1c/0x30 __irq_exit_rcu+0x168/0x1a0 irq_exit_rcu+0x10/0x40 el1_interrupt+0x38/0x64 irq event stamp: 7825 hardirqs last enabled at (7825): [<ffffdf1f7200cae4>] exit_to_kernel_mode+0x34/0x130 hardirqs last disabled at (7823): [<ffffdf1f708105f0>] __do_softirq+0x550/0x5d8 softirqs last enabled at (7824): [<ffffdf1f7081050c>] __do_softirq+0x46c/0x5d8 softirqs last disabled at (7811): [<ffffdf1f708166e0>] ____do_softirq+0x10/0x20 other info that might help us debug this: Possible unsafe locking scenario: CPU0 ---- lock(_xmit_ETHER#2); <Interrupt> lock(_xmit_ETHER#2); *** DEADLOCK *** 3 locks held by kworker/1:3/179: #0: ffff3ec400004748 ((wq_completion)events){+.+.}-{0:0}, at: process_one_work+0x1f4/0x6c0 #1: ffff80000a0bbdc8 ((work_completion)(&priv->tx_onestep_tstamp)){+.+.}-{0:0}, at: process_one_work+0x1f4/0x6c0 #2: ffff3ec4036cd438 (&dev->tx_global_lock){+.+.}-{3:3}, at: netif_tx_lock+0x1c/0x34 Workqueue: events enetc_tx_onestep_tstamp Call trace: print_usage_bug.part.0+0x208/0x22c mark_lock+0x7f0/0x8b0 __lock_acquire+0x7c4/0x1ce0 lock_acquire.part.0+0xe0/0x220 lock_acquire+0x68/0x84 _raw_spin_lock+0x5c/0xc0 netif_freeze_queues+0x5c/0xc0 netif_tx_lock+0x24/0x34 enetc_tx_onestep_tstamp+0x20/0x100 process_one_work+0x28c/0x6c0 worker_thread+0x74/0x450 kthread+0x118/0x11c but I'll say it anyway: the enetc_tx_onestep_tstamp() work item runs in process context, therefore with softirqs enabled (i.o.w., it can be interrupted by a softirq). If we hold the netif_tx_lock() when there is an interrupt, and the NET_TX softirq then gets scheduled, this will take the netif_tx_lock() a second time and deadlock the kernel. To solve this, use netif_tx_lock_bh(), which blocks softirqs from running.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-667

Shared resources are accessed without correct locking, so concurrent operations interleave into inconsistent — and sometimes exploitable — states, or deadlock the service outright. These bugs are subtle and timing-dependent. The fix is correct, consistent locking or atomic operations around every shared resource.

General guidance for the improper locking class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 5.13, < 5.15.91>= 5.16, < 6.1.9= 6.2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.15.91 / 6.1.9 or later
Fixed in 5.15.916.1.9
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

5.15.91, 6.1.9, or 6.2.1 (or any subsequent stable release)

  1. Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 5.15.91 or later if using the 5.15.x branch
  2. Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 6.1.9 or later if using the 6.1.x branch
  3. Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 6.2.1 or later if using the 6.2.x branch
  4. Alternatively, apply the upstream commit 3c463721a73bdb57a913e0d3124677a3758886fc which changes netif_tx_lock() to netif_tx_lock_bh() in the enetc_tx_onestep_tstamp() function to prevent the deadlock

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-53022 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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