Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2023-53114

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-05-02

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.4.238 / 5.10.176 or later.

See remediation →

57/100

Remediation priority · Elevated

Zero-click Patch available

Official description

NVD · unedited

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: i40e: Fix kernel crash during reboot when adapter is in recovery mode If the driver detects during probe that firmware is in recovery mode then i40e_init_recovery_mode() is called and the rest of probe function is skipped including pci_set_drvdata(). Subsequent i40e_shutdown() called during shutdown/reboot dereferences NULL pointer as pci_get_drvdata() returns NULL. To fix call pci_set_drvdata() also during entering to recovery mode. Reproducer: 1) Lets have i40e NIC with firmware in recovery mode 2) Run reboot Result: [ 139.084698] i40e: Intel(R) Ethernet Connection XL710 Network Driver [ 139.090959] i40e: Copyright (c) 2013 - 2019 Intel Corporation. [ 139.108438] i40e 0000:02:00.0: Firmware recovery mode detected. Limiting functionality. [ 139.116439] i40e 0000:02:00.0: Refer to the Intel(R) Ethernet Adapters and Devices User Guide for details on firmware recovery mode. [ 139.129499] i40e 0000:02:00.0: fw 8.3.64775 api 1.13 nvm 8.30 0x8000b78d 1.3106.0 [8086:1583] [15d9:084a] [ 139.215932] i40e 0000:02:00.0 enp2s0f0: renamed from eth0 [ 139.223292] i40e 0000:02:00.1: Firmware recovery mode detected. Limiting functionality. [ 139.231292] i40e 0000:02:00.1: Refer to the Intel(R) Ethernet Adapters and Devices User Guide for details on firmware recovery mode. [ 139.244406] i40e 0000:02:00.1: fw 8.3.64775 api 1.13 nvm 8.30 0x8000b78d 1.3106.0 [8086:1583] [15d9:084a] [ 139.329209] i40e 0000:02:00.1 enp2s0f1: renamed from eth0 ... [ 156.311376] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 00000000000006c2 [ 156.318330] #PF: supervisor write access in kernel mode [ 156.323546] #PF: error_code(0x0002) - not-present page [ 156.328679] PGD 0 P4D 0 [ 156.331210] Oops: 0002 [#1] PREEMPT SMP NOPTI [ 156.335567] CPU: 26 PID: 15119 Comm: reboot Tainted: G E 6.2.0+ #1 [ 156.343126] Hardware name: Abacus electric, s.r.o. - [email protected] Super Server/H12SSW-iN, BIOS 2.4 04/13/2022 [ 156.353369] RIP: 0010:i40e_shutdown+0x15/0x130 [i40e] [ 156.358430] Code: c1 fc ff ff 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 f3 0f 1e fa 0f 1f 44 00 00 55 48 89 fd 53 48 8b 9f 48 01 00 00 <f0> 80 8b c2 06 00 00 04 f0 80 8b c0 06 00 00 08 48 8d bb 08 08 00 [ 156.377168] RSP: 0018:ffffb223c8447d90 EFLAGS: 00010282 [ 156.382384] RAX: ffffffffc073ee70 RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: 0000000000000001 [ 156.389510] RDX: 0000000080000001 RSI: 0000000000000246 RDI: ffff95db49988000 [ 156.396634] RBP: ffff95db49988000 R08: ffffffffffffffff R09: ffffffff8bd17d40 [ 156.403759] R10: 0000000000000001 R11: ffffffff8a5e3d28 R12: ffff95db49988000 [ 156.410882] R13: ffffffff89a6fe17 R14: ffff95db49988150 R15: 0000000000000000 [ 156.418007] FS: 00007fe7c0cc3980(0000) GS:ffff95ea8ee80000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 [ 156.426083] CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 [ 156.431819] CR2: 00000000000006c2 CR3: 00000003092fc005 CR4: 0000000000770ee0 [ 156.438944] PKRU: 55555554 [ 156.441647] Call Trace: [ 156.444096] <TASK> [ 156.446199] pci_device_shutdown+0x38/0x60 [ 156.450297] device_shutdown+0x163/0x210 [ 156.454215] kernel_restart+0x12/0x70 [ 156.457872] __do_sys_reboot+0x1ab/0x230 [ 156.461789] ? vfs_writev+0xa6/0x1a0 [ 156.465362] ? __pfx_file_free_rcu+0x10/0x10 [ 156.469635] ? __call_rcu_common.constprop.85+0x109/0x5a0 [ 156.475034] do_syscall_64+0x3e/0x90 [ 156.478611] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x72/0xdc [ 156.483658] RIP: 0033:0x7fe7bff37ab7

Technical summary

dbcve analysis

How this class of weakness works · CWE-476

The code follows a pointer that is null, crashing the process. An attacker who can reliably trigger it turns the crash into a denial of service. The fix is checking for null before use and handling the failure path gracefully.

General guidance for the null pointer dereference 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

NVD · CPE data

Linux KernelOperating system

Affected:>= 5.2, < 5.4.238>= 5.5, < 5.10.176>= 5.11, < 5.15.104>= 5.16, < 6.1.21>= 6.2, < 6.2.8= 6.3

CVSS breakdown

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

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.4.238 / 5.10.176 / 5.15.104 or later

Fixed in 5.4.2385.10.1765.15.104

Vendor patch git.kernel.org →

Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 6.1.21 or later (or 5.15.104+, 5.10.176+, or 5.4.238+ depending on branch preference)

1. Identify the currently running kernel version using `uname -r`
2. Check if the current version is within an affected range: >= 5.2 and < 5.4.238, >= 5.5 and < 5.10.176, >= 5.11 and < 5.15.104, or >= 5.16 and < 6.1.21
3. Upgrade the Linux kernel to a fixed release: 5.4.238 or higher, 5.10.176 or higher, 5.15.104 or higher, or 6.1.21 or higher
4. For systems using distribution package managers (e.g., apt, yum, dnf), run: `sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade` (Debian/Ubuntu) or `sudo yum update` / `sudo dnf upgrade` (RHEL/Fedora)
5. Alternatively, manually download and install the kernel from https://kernel.org/ for the desired fixed version
6. Reboot the system to load the fixed kernel

Caveat Kernel upgrades may require system reboot and could have compatibility implications with custom kernel modules or specific hardware drivers; ensure backup and test in non-production environment first

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

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $2,850. Get the upgrade done

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-53114 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2023-53114?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here

Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 5.4.238 / 5.10.176 or later

Severity 5.5 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.2%

Affects: Linux Kernel

Remediation

Need this fixed?

Get a fix

Estimated effortfrom ~16 hrs

ComplexityComplex

Typical engagementfrom $2,850

What a fix involves

We scope it with you and confirm a fixed quote
A specialist builds a reviewed fix
You deploy it to staging first
Optional re-test once it’s live

We specialise in CVE remediation. Send your environment and we’ll scope CVE-2023-53114 and return a fixed quote.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Scan for this in your stack

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

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Remediation

References