Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: scsi: storvsc: Fix handling...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
scsi: storvsc: Fix handling of virtual Fibre Channel timeouts
Hyper-V provides the ability to connect Fibre Channel LUNs to the host
system and present them in a guest VM as a SCSI device. I/O to the vFC
device is handled by the storvsc driver. The storvsc driver includes a
partial integration with the FC transport implemented in the generic
portion of the Linux SCSI subsystem so that FC attributes can be displayed
in /sys. However, the partial integration means that some aspects of vFC
don't work properly. Unfortunately, a full and correct integration isn't
practical because of limitations in what Hyper-V provides to the guest.
In particular, in the context of Hyper-V storvsc, the FC transport timeout
function fc_eh_timed_out() causes a kernel panic because it can't find the
rport and dereferences a NULL pointer. The original patch that added the
call from storvsc_eh_timed_out() to fc_eh_timed_out() is faulty in this
regard.
In many cases a timeout is due to a transient condition, so the situation
can be improved by just continuing to wait like with other I/O requests
issued by storvsc, and avoiding the guaranteed panic. For a permanent
failure, continuing to wait may result in a hung thread instead of a panic,
which again may be better.
So fix the panic by removing the storvsc call to fc_eh_timed_out(). This
allows storvsc to keep waiting for a response. The change has been tested
by users who experienced a panic in fc_eh_timed_out() due to transient
timeouts, and it solves their problem.
In the future we may want to deprecate the vFC functionality in storvsc
since it can't be fully fixed. But it has current users for whom it is
working well enough, so it should probably stay for a while longer.
Impact
The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash. Typical impact: denial of service via crash.
CVE-2023-53245 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (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-2023-53245? CVE-2023-53245 is a medium-severity null pointer dereference vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet. The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash.
- How severe is CVE-2023-53245? CVE-2023-53245 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (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-2023-53245? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2023-53245 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2023-53245 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-53245 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-2023-53245 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.