CVE-2023-53299
📋 TL;DR
A memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's RAID10 subsystem can cause I/O hangs during disk recovery operations. When read operations fail during RAID10 recovery, the kernel fails to properly decrement a counter, leading to resource exhaustion and system unresponsiveness. This affects any Linux system using software RAID10 arrays.
💻 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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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
Complete system hang requiring hard reboot, potential data corruption or loss during RAID recovery operations.
Likely Case
Degraded RAID10 performance during recovery, temporary I/O stalls, or system instability requiring manual intervention.
If Mitigated
Minor performance impact during RAID recovery with no data loss if proper monitoring is in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires triggering RAID10 recovery operations with specific failure conditions. Not directly remote exploitable.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions containing fixes from provided git commits
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/11141630f03efffdfe260b3582b2d93d38171b97
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution vendor. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify kernel version after reboot.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Avoid RAID10 recovery operations
allPrevent triggering the vulnerable code path by avoiding RAID10 array rebuilds or recovery operations
# Monitor RAID arrays to prevent degraded state
# Avoid manual mdadm --add or --remove operations during peak hours
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor RAID10 arrays closely and avoid recovery operations during critical periods
- Implement comprehensive system monitoring for I/O hangs and prepare for manual intervention
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and if using software RAID10: uname -r && cat /proc/mdstatCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version is updated and test RAID10 recovery operations in non-production environment📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel messages about RAID10 recovery failures
- System logs showing I/O timeouts or hangs
- mdadm monitoring showing stuck recovery operations
Network Indicators:
- None - local vulnerability only
SIEM Query:
Search for: 'raid10' AND ('recovery' OR 'sync') AND ('fail' OR 'hang' OR 'timeout') in kernel logs🔗 References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/11141630f03efffdfe260b3582b2d93d38171b97
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1697fb124c6d6c5237e9cbd78890310154738084
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1d2c6c6e37fe5de11fd01a82badf03390e12df7a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/26208a7cffd0c7cbf14237ccd20c7270b3ffeb7e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3481dec5ecbbbbe44ab23e22c2b14bd65c644ec6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4f82e7e07cdaf2947d71968e3d6b73370a217093
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8c5d5d7ffd1e76734811b8ea5417cf0432b9952c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8d09065802c53cc938d162b62f6c4150b392c90e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cb827ed2bb34480dc102146d3a1f89fdbcafc028
