CVE-2023-53292
📋 TL;DR
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's block multi-queue (blk-mq) subsystem could cause kernel panics or system crashes when elevator scheduler switching occurs. This affects Linux systems using the blk-mq infrastructure for storage devices. The vulnerability requires local access to trigger.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux Kernel
📦 What is this software?
Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Kernel panic leading to system crash and denial of service, potentially causing data loss or service disruption.
Likely Case
Local denial of service through system crash or instability when storage operations trigger the race condition.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper access controls preventing local users from triggering storage scheduler operations.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access and ability to trigger elevator switching operations. Race condition makes timing-dependent exploitation challenging.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Patched in stable kernel commits: 245165658e1c9f95c0fecfe02b9b1ebd30a1198a and 3e977386521b71471e66ec2ba82efdfcc456adf2
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/245165658e1c9f95c0fecfe02b9b1ebd30a1198a
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update to patched kernel version from your distribution vendor. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify kernel version after reboot.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict local access
allLimit local user access to prevent triggering the vulnerability
Disable elevator switching
allAvoid changing storage scheduler settings while system is operational
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls to prevent local users from modifying storage settings
- Monitor system logs for kernel panic indicators and have recovery procedures ready
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and compare with distribution's patched versions. Vulnerable if using unpatched kernel with blk-mq support.Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version matches patched version from vendor. Check that commit 245165658e1c9f95c0fecfe02b9b1ebd30a1198a or 3e977386521b71471e66ec2ba82efdfcc456adf2 is included.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic messages
- NULL pointer dereference errors in kernel logs
- System crash/reboot events
Network Indicators:
- None - local vulnerability only
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("NULL pointer dereference" OR "kernel panic" OR "blk_mq_elv_switch_none")