Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: skbuff: Fix a race between...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
skbuff: Fix a race between coalescing and releasing SKBs
Commit 1effe8ca4e34 ("skbuff: fix coalescing for page_pool fragment
recycling") allowed coalescing to proceed with non page pool page and page
pool page when @from is cloned, i.e.
to->pp_recycle --> false
from->pp_recycle --> true
skb_cloned(from) --> true
However, it actually requires skb_cloned(@from) to hold true until
coalescing finishes in this situation. If the other cloned SKB is
released while the merging is in process, from_shinfo->nr_frags will be
set to 0 toward the end of the function, causing the increment of frag
page _refcount to be unexpectedly skipped resulting in inconsistent
reference counts. Later when SKB(@to) is released, it frees the page
directly even though the page pool page is still in use, leading to
use-after-free or double-free errors. So it should be prohibited.
The double-free error message below prompted us to investigate:
BUG: Bad page state in process swapper/1 pfn:0e0d1
page:00000000c6548b28 refcount:-1 mapcount:0 mapping:0000000000000000
index:0x2 pfn:0xe0d1
flags: 0xfffffc0000000(node=0|zone=1|lastcpupid=0x1fffff)
raw: 000fffffc0000000 0000000000000000 ffffffff00000101 0000000000000000
raw: 0000000000000002 0000000000000000 ffffffffffffffff 0000000000000000
page dumped because: nonzero _refcount
CPU: 1 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/1 Tainted: G E 6.2.0+
Call Trace:
dump_stack_lvl+0x32/0x50
bad_page+0x69/0xf0
free_pcp_prepare+0x260/0x2f0
free_unref_page+0x20/0x1c0
skb_release_data+0x10b/0x1a0
napi_consume_skb+0x56/0x150
net_rx_action+0xf0/0x350
? __napi_schedule+0x79/0x90
__do_softirq+0xc8/0x2b1
__irq_exit_rcu+0xb9/0xf0
common_interrupt+0x82/0xa0
asm_common_interrupt+0x22/0x40
RIP: 0010:default_idle+0xb/0x20
Impact
Multiple concurrent operations access a shared resource without proper synchronization, producing unpredictable results depending on timing. Typical impact: TOCTOU exploits, data corruption, or privilege escalation.
CVE-2023-53186 has a CVSS score of 4.7 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-53186? CVE-2023-53186 is a medium-severity race condition vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet. Multiple concurrent operations access a shared resource without proper synchronization, producing unpredictable results depending on timing.
- How severe is CVE-2023-53186? CVE-2023-53186 has a CVSS score of 4.7 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-53186? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2023-53186 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2023-53186 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-53186 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2023-53186 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.