Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/ntfs3: Fix null-ptr-deref...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
fs/ntfs3: Fix null-ptr-deref on inode->i_op in ntfs_lookup()
Syzbot reported a null-ptr-deref bug:
ntfs3: loop0: Different NTFS' sector size (1024) and media sector size
(512)
ntfs3: loop0: Mark volume as dirty due to NTFS errors
general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address
0xdffffc0000000001: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP KASAN
KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000008-0x000000000000000f]
RIP: 0010:d_flags_for_inode fs/dcache.c:1980 [inline]
RIP: 0010:__d_add+0x5ce/0x800 fs/dcache.c:2796
Call Trace:
d_splice_alias+0x122/0x3b0 fs/dcache.c:3191
lookup_open fs/namei.c:3391 [inline]
open_last_lookups fs/namei.c:3481 [inline]
path_openat+0x10e6/0x2df0 fs/namei.c:3688
do_filp_open+0x264/0x4f0 fs/namei.c:3718
do_sys_openat2+0x124/0x4e0 fs/open.c:1310
do_sys_open fs/open.c:1326 [inline]
__do_sys_open fs/open.c:1334 [inline]
__se_sys_open fs/open.c:1330 [inline]
__x64_sys_open+0x221/0x270 fs/open.c:1330
do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:50 [inline]
do_syscall_64+0x3d/0xb0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:80
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd
If the MFT record of ntfs inode is not a base record, inode->i_op can be
NULL. And a null-ptr-deref may happen:
ntfs_lookup()
dir_search_u() # inode->i_op is set to NULL
d_splice_alias()
__d_add()
d_flags_for_inode() # inode->i_op->get_link null-ptr-deref
Fix this by adding a Check on inode->i_op before calling the
d_splice_alias() function.
Impact
The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash. Typical impact: denial of service via crash.
CVE-2023-53294 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-2023-53294? CVE-2023-53294 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-2023-53294? CVE-2023-53294 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-2023-53294? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2023-53294 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2023-53294 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-53294 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-2023-53294 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.