Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2023-53217

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-15

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.10.188 / 5.15.120 or later.

See remediation →

80/100

Remediation priority · High

Zero-click Patch available

Official description

NVD · unedited

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nubus: Partially revert proc_create_single_data() conversion The conversion to proc_create_single_data() introduced a regression whereby reading a file in /proc/bus/nubus results in a seg fault: # grep -r . /proc/bus/nubus/e/ Data read fault at 0x00000020 in Super Data (pc=0x1074c2) BAD KERNEL BUSERR Oops: 00000000 Modules linked in: PC: [<001074c2>] PDE_DATA+0xc/0x16 SR: 2010 SP: 38284958 a2: 01152370 d0: 00000001 d1: 01013000 d2: 01002790 d3: 00000000 d4: 00000001 d5: 0008ce2e a0: 00000000 a1: 00222a40 Process grep (pid: 45, task=142f8727) Frame format=B ssw=074d isc=2008 isb=4e5e daddr=00000020 dobuf=01199e70 baddr=001074c8 dibuf=ffffffff ver=f Stack from 01199e48: 01199e70 00222a58 01002790 00000000 011a3000 01199eb0 015000c0 00000000 00000000 01199ec0 01199ec0 000d551a 011a3000 00000001 00000000 00018000 d003f000 00000003 00000001 0002800d 01052840 01199fa8 c01f8000 00000000 00000029 0b532b80 00000000 00000000 00000029 0b532b80 01199ee4 00103640 011198c0 d003f000 00018000 01199fa8 00000000 011198c0 00000000 01199f4c 000b3344 011198c0 d003f000 00018000 01199fa8 00000000 00018000 011198c0 Call Trace: [<00222a58>] nubus_proc_rsrc_show+0x18/0xa0 [<000d551a>] seq_read+0xc4/0x510 [<00018000>] fp_fcos+0x2/0x82 [<0002800d>] __sys_setreuid+0x115/0x1c6 [<00103640>] proc_reg_read+0x5c/0xb0 [<00018000>] fp_fcos+0x2/0x82 [<000b3344>] __vfs_read+0x2c/0x13c [<00018000>] fp_fcos+0x2/0x82 [<00018000>] fp_fcos+0x2/0x82 [<000b8aa2>] sys_statx+0x60/0x7e [<000b34b6>] vfs_read+0x62/0x12a [<00018000>] fp_fcos+0x2/0x82 [<00018000>] fp_fcos+0x2/0x82 [<000b39c2>] ksys_read+0x48/0xbe [<00018000>] fp_fcos+0x2/0x82 [<000b3a4e>] sys_read+0x16/0x1a [<00018000>] fp_fcos+0x2/0x82 [<00002b84>] syscall+0x8/0xc [<00018000>] fp_fcos+0x2/0x82 [<0000c016>] not_ext+0xa/0x18 Code: 4e5e 4e75 4e56 0000 206e 0008 2068 ffe8 <2068> 0020 2008 4e5e 4e75 4e56 0000 2f0b 206e 0008 2068 0004 2668 0020 206b ffe8 Disabling lock debugging due to kernel taint Segmentation fault The proc_create_single_data() conversion does not work because single_open(file, nubus_proc_rsrc_show, PDE_DATA(inode)) is not equivalent to the original code.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Linux KernelOperating system

Affected:>= 4.18, < 5.10.188>= 5.11, < 5.15.120>= 5.16, < 6.1.38>= 6.2, < 6.3.12>= 6.4, < 6.4.2

CVSS breakdown

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

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.10.188 / 5.15.120 / 6.1.38 or later

Fixed in 5.10.1885.15.1206.1.38

Vendor patch git.kernel.org →

Recommended fix High confidence

5.10.188, 5.15.120, 6.1.38, or 6.3.12 (choose the appropriate version based on your current branch)

Identify the currently running kernel version using 'uname -r'
Determine which version branch your kernel is based on (e.g., 5.10.x, 5.15.x, 6.1.x, 6.2.x or 6.3.x)
Upgrade the Linux kernel to a version that includes the fix: for 5.10.x branch upgrade to >= 5.10.188; for 5.15.x branch upgrade to >= 5.15.120; for 6.1.x branch upgrade to >= 6.1.38; for 6.2.x branch upgrade to >= 6.3.12
After kernel upgrade, reboot the system to load the fixed kernel
Verify the fix by reading from /proc/bus/nubus/ (e.g., 'grep -r . /proc/bus/nubus/e/') to confirm no segfault occurs

Caveat Kernel upgrades may require matching system utilities and drivers; ensure compatibility with your distribution

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 $1,950. 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-2023-53217 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2023-53217?

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

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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 5.10.188 / 5.15.120 or later

Severity 7.8 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.2%

Affects: Linux Kernel

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Get a fix

Estimated effortfrom ~11 hrs

ComplexityModerate

Typical engagementfrom $1,950

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

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2023-53217 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

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