CVE-2023-53622 – This CVE describes a race condition vulnerabili... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-53622?

CVE-2023-53622 has a CVSS score of 7.0 (HIGH). This CVE describes a race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's GFS2 filesystem implementation. The gfs2_show_options() function accesses configuration fields without proper locking, allowing concurrent modification by gfs2_reconfigure() to cause data races. This affects Linux systems using the GFS2 filesystem.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's GFS2 filesystem implementation. The gfs2_show_options() function accesses configuration fields without proper locking, allowing concurrent modification by gfs2_reconfigure() to cause data races. This affects Linux systems using the GFS2 filesystem.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with GFS2 filesystem support

Versions: Linux kernel versions before the fix commits (specific versions vary by distribution)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using vulnerable kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ✅ No

Notes: Only affects systems using GFS2 (Global File System 2) clustered filesystem. Most standard Linux installations don't use GFS2 by default.

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Kernel memory corruption leading to system crash, denial of service, or potential privilege escalation if race conditions are exploited to manipulate kernel data structures.

🟠

Likely Case

System instability, kernel panics, or filesystem corruption when GFS2 configuration is modified while system information is being queried.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minor system instability or information disclosure of inconsistent configuration values.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access to the system and GFS2 filesystem usage.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or processes could trigger race conditions leading to system instability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: HIGH - Requires precise timing and local access to trigger race conditions.

Exploitation requires local access and knowledge of GFS2 operations. No public exploits known at this time.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Fixed in Linux kernel stable releases via commits: 235a5ae73cea, 42077d4de49e, 6fa0a72cbbe4, 7c5b2649f6a3, 7e5bbeb7eb81

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/235a5ae73cea29109a3e06f100493f17857e6a93

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Check your distribution's security advisories for specific patched kernel versions. 3. Reboot system after kernel update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable GFS2 filesystem

linux

If GFS2 is not required, disable it to eliminate the vulnerability surface.

modprobe -r gfs2
echo 'blacklist gfs2' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Avoid modifying GFS2 configuration while system information queries are running
Restrict local user access to systems using GFS2 filesystems

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if GFS2 module is loaded: lsmod | grep gfs2 AND check kernel version against patched versions

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version includes fix commits: grep -q '235a5ae73cea\|42077d4de49e\|6fa0a72cbbe4\|7c5b2649f6a3\|7e5bbeb7eb81' /proc/version_signature

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel oops messages
GFS2 filesystem errors in dmesg
System crashes when accessing /proc/mounts or similar

Network Indicators:

None - local vulnerability only

SIEM Query:

Search for: 'kernel: BUG:', 'kernel: Oops:', 'gfs2.*error' in system logs

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-53622

CVSS v3 Score: 7.0 (HIGH)

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

CWE: CWE-362

Published: October 7, 2025

Last Updated: February 5, 2026

🤖 AI-assisted analysis, reviewed for accuracy

🔗 References

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