CVE-2023-53577 – This CVE-2023-53577 is a race condition vulnera... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-53577?

CVE-2023-53577 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). This CVE-2023-53577 is a race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's BPF CPU map subsystem where a kernel thread could be stopped prematurely before processing queued network packets. This causes a warning/error condition that could potentially lead to denial of service or system instability. It affects Linux systems using BPF CPU maps for XDP packet processing.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE-2023-53577 is a race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's BPF CPU map subsystem where a kernel thread could be stopped prematurely before processing queued network packets. This causes a warning/error condition that could potentially lead to denial of service or system instability. It affects Linux systems using BPF CPU maps for XDP packet processing.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux Kernel

Versions: Linux kernel versions before the fix commits (specific affected range depends on distribution backports)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using vulnerable kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ✅ No

Notes: Only vulnerable when using BPF CPU maps with XDP programs; requires specific BPF/XDP configuration.

📦 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...

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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

System crash or kernel panic due to unhandled race condition during packet processing, leading to denial of service.

🟠

Likely Case

Kernel warning messages and potential system instability when using BPF CPU maps with XDP programs under stress conditions.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minor performance impact with proper kernel patching; no security bypass or privilege escalation.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - Systems processing network traffic with XDP/BPF CPU maps could experience DoS if exploited.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal systems using BPF CPU maps for network processing could experience instability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: NO

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: HIGH

Requires local access and ability to load BPF programs; race condition timing makes exploitation difficult.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Fixed in Linux kernel stable commits: 640a604585aa30f93e39b17d4d6ba69fcb1e66c9, 7a1178a3671b40746830d355836b72e47ceb2490, b44d28b98f185d2f2348aa3c3636838c316f889e, ecb45b852af5e88257020b88bea5ff0798d72aca

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/640a604585aa30f93e39b17d4d6ba69fcb1e66c9

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Check distribution-specific security advisories. 3. Reboot system after kernel update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable BPF CPU map usage

linux

Avoid using BPF CPU maps for XDP packet processing if not required.

# Modify XDP programs to not use CPU maps
# Remove or modify BPF programs using bpf_cpu_map_update_elem()

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Avoid using BPF CPU maps in production environments
Monitor system logs for kernel warnings related to CPU map operations

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and if BPF CPU maps are in use: uname -r and examine BPF/XDP configurations

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version includes fix commits: grep -i 'cpu_map' /proc/kallsyms for updated symbols

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel warnings containing 'put_cpu_map_entry' or 'cpu_map_kthread_stop'
dmesg warnings about CPU map operations

Network Indicators:

Unusual packet drops in XDP programs using CPU maps

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("put_cpu_map_entry" OR "cpu_map_kthread_stop")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-53577

CVSS v3 Score: 7.8 (HIGH)

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

CWE: CWE-401

EPSS Score: 0.02% exploit probability (5.6th percentile)

Published: October 4, 2025

Last Updated: February 10, 2026

🔗 References

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