CVE-2023-53368 – A race condition vulnerability in the Linux ker... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-53368?

CVE-2023-53368 has a CVSS score of 4.7 (MEDIUM). A race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's tracing subsystem allows concurrent CPU buffer writes and swaps to cause kernel warnings or potential crashes. This affects Linux systems with kernel tracing enabled, particularly those using the snapshot feature.

📋 TL;DR

A race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's tracing subsystem allows concurrent CPU buffer writes and swaps to cause kernel warnings or potential crashes. This affects Linux systems with kernel tracing enabled, particularly those using the snapshot feature.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel

Versions: Specific vulnerable versions not explicitly listed, but patches exist for multiple stable branches (see references).

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ✅ No

Notes: Requires kernel tracing to be enabled and snapshot operations being performed concurrently with event writes.

📦 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 →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Kernel panic leading to system crash and denial of service, especially if kernel.panic_on_warn=1 is set.

🟠

Likely Case

Kernel warning messages in logs and potential system instability or crashes during heavy tracing operations.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minor performance impact from warnings if tracing is disabled or not heavily used.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access and specific tracing configuration to trigger.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or processes with tracing permissions can trigger crashes on affected systems.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Proof-of-concept test script provided in CVE description demonstrates reproduction. Requires local access and permissions to write to tracing files.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Multiple stable kernel versions with fixes (see git.kernel.org references)

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3163f635b20e9e1fb4659e74f47918c9dddfe64e

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Identify current kernel version. 2. Apply appropriate kernel patch from stable tree. 3. Rebuild kernel if compiling from source. 4. Reboot system with patched kernel.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable kernel tracing

all

Disable the tracing subsystem to prevent the race condition from being triggered.

echo 0 > /sys/kernel/tracing/tracing_on
echo 0 > /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/tracing_on

Disable snapshot feature

all

Prevent access to the snapshot functionality that triggers the swap operation.

chmod 000 /sys/kernel/tracing/per_cpu/cpu*/snapshot
chmod 000 /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/per_cpu/cpu*/snapshot

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict access to tracing files to privileged users only
Monitor for kernel warning messages related to ring_buffer or tracing

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and test with provided reproduction script if tracing is enabled.

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Check that applied kernel version includes one of the referenced commits or test with reproduction script.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

WARNING: CPU: ... at kernel/trace/ring_buffer.c
kernel: WARNING: ... rb_commit+
kernel: Call Trace: ... ring_buffer_unlock_commit+

Network Indicators:

None - local vulnerability only

SIEM Query:

event_source="kernel" AND (message CONTAINS "ring_buffer" OR message CONTAINS "rb_commit" OR message CONTAINS "WARNING: CPU:")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-53368

CVSS v3 Score: 4.7 (MEDIUM)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CWE: CWE-362

EPSS Score: 0.01% exploit probability (0.6th percentile)

Published: September 17, 2025

Last Updated: January 14, 2026

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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