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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2023-53148

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.14.322 / 4.19.291 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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: igb: Fix igb_down hung on surprise removal In a setup where a Thunderbolt hub connects to Ethernet and a display through USB Type-C, users may experience a hung task timeout when they remove the cable between the PC and the Thunderbolt hub. This is because the igb_down function is called multiple times when the Thunderbolt hub is unplugged. For example, the igb_io_error_detected triggers the first call, and the igb_remove triggers the second call. The second call to igb_down will block at napi_synchronize. Here's the call trace: __schedule+0x3b0/0xddb ? __mod_timer+0x164/0x5d3 schedule+0x44/0xa8 schedule_timeout+0xb2/0x2a4 ? run_local_timers+0x4e/0x4e msleep+0x31/0x38 igb_down+0x12c/0x22a [igb 6615058754948bfde0bf01429257eb59f13030d4] __igb_close+0x6f/0x9c [igb 6615058754948bfde0bf01429257eb59f13030d4] igb_close+0x23/0x2b [igb 6615058754948bfde0bf01429257eb59f13030d4] __dev_close_many+0x95/0xec dev_close_many+0x6e/0x103 unregister_netdevice_many+0x105/0x5b1 unregister_netdevice_queue+0xc2/0x10d unregister_netdev+0x1c/0x23 igb_remove+0xa7/0x11c [igb 6615058754948bfde0bf01429257eb59f13030d4] pci_device_remove+0x3f/0x9c device_release_driver_internal+0xfe/0x1b4 pci_stop_bus_device+0x5b/0x7f pci_stop_bus_device+0x30/0x7f pci_stop_bus_device+0x30/0x7f pci_stop_and_remove_bus_device+0x12/0x19 pciehp_unconfigure_device+0x76/0xe9 pciehp_disable_slot+0x6e/0x131 pciehp_handle_presence_or_link_change+0x7a/0x3f7 pciehp_ist+0xbe/0x194 irq_thread_fn+0x22/0x4d ? irq_thread+0x1fd/0x1fd irq_thread+0x17b/0x1fd ? irq_forced_thread_fn+0x5f/0x5f kthread+0x142/0x153 ? __irq_get_irqchip_state+0x46/0x46 ? kthread_associate_blkcg+0x71/0x71 ret_from_fork+0x1f/0x30 In this case, igb_io_error_detected detaches the network interface and requests a PCIE slot reset, however, the PCIE reset callback is not being invoked and thus the Ethernet connection breaks down. As the PCIE error in this case is a non-fatal one, requesting a slot reset can be avoided. This patch fixes the task hung issue and preserves Ethernet connection by ignoring non-fatal PCIE errors.

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-415

The same block of memory is freed twice, corrupting the allocator's bookkeeping in ways an attacker can shape toward code execution. It usually stems from tangled ownership of a pointer. The fix is clear, single ownership of each allocation and clearing pointers once they are freed.

General guidance for the double free 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:< 4.14.322>= 4.15, < 4.19.291>= 4.20, < 5.4.251>= 5.5, < 5.10.188>= 5.11, < 5.15.150>= 5.16, < 6.1.42>= 6.2, < 6.4.7

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 4.14.322 / 4.19.291 / 5.4.251 or later
Fixed in 4.14.3224.19.2915.4.251
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Kernel 5.10.188+ (or 5.4.251+, 4.19.291+, 4.14.322+, or latest stable 5.15/6.1/6.x)

  1. 1. Identify the currently running Linux kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. 2. Determine which major kernel series (4.14, 4.19, 5.4, 5.10, 5.15, 6.1, etc.) your system is running
  3. 3. For systems running kernel 5.10.x: upgrade to version 5.10.188 or later (e.g., 5.10.189, 5.10.190)
  4. 4. For systems running kernel 5.4.x: upgrade to version 5.4.251 or later
  5. 5. For systems running kernel 4.19.x: upgrade to version 4.19.291 or later
  6. 6. For systems running kernel 4.14.x: upgrade to version 4.14.322 or later
  7. 7. For systems running kernel 5.15+ or 6.x: these series are unaffected as the vulnerable code path was fixed in later stable branches; upgrade to latest stable of your series
  8. 8. After kernel upgrade, reboot the system to load the fixed kernel
Caveat Standard kernel upgrade risks apply: potential driver incompatibility with custom modules, regression in specific hardware support; ensure backups and test in non-production environment first

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-2023-53148 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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