Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: powerpc: Don't try to copy...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
powerpc: Don't try to copy PPR for task with NULL pt_regs
powerpc sets up PF_KTHREAD and PF_IO_WORKER with a NULL pt_regs, which
from my (arguably very short) checking is not commonly done for other
archs. This is fine, except when PF_IO_WORKER's have been created and
the task does something that causes a coredump to be generated. Then we
get this crash:
Kernel attempted to read user page (160) - exploit attempt? (uid: 1000)
BUG: Kernel NULL pointer dereference on read at 0x00000160
Faulting instruction address: 0xc0000000000c3a60
Oops: Kernel access of bad area, sig: 11 [#1]
LE PAGE_SIZE=64K MMU=Radix SMP NR_CPUS=32 NUMA pSeries
Modules linked in: bochs drm_vram_helper drm_kms_helper xts binfmt_misc ecb ctr syscopyarea sysfillrect cbc sysimgblt drm_ttm_helper aes_generic ttm sg libaes evdev joydev virtio_balloon vmx_crypto gf128mul drm dm_mod fuse loop configfs drm_panel_orientation_quirks ip_tables x_tables autofs4 hid_generic usbhid hid xhci_pci xhci_hcd usbcore usb_common sd_mod
CPU: 1 PID: 1982 Comm: ppc-crash Not tainted 6.3.0-rc2+ #88
Hardware name: IBM pSeries (emulated by qemu) POWER9 (raw) 0x4e1202 0xf000005 of:SLOF,HEAD hv:linux,kvm pSeries
NIP: c0000000000c3a60 LR: c000000000039944 CTR: c0000000000398e0
REGS: c0000000041833b0 TRAP: 0300 Not tainted (6.3.0-rc2+)
MSR: 800000000280b033 <SF,VEC,VSX,EE,FP,ME,IR,DR,RI,LE> CR: 88082828 XER: 200400f8
...
NIP memcpy_power7+0x200/0x7d0
LR ppr_get+0x64/0xb0
Call Trace:
ppr_get+0x40/0xb0 (unreliable)
__regset_get+0x180/0x1f0
regset_get_alloc+0x64/0x90
elf_core_dump+0xb98/0x1b60
do_coredump+0x1c34/0x24a0
get_signal+0x71c/0x1410
do_notify_resume+0x140/0x6f0
interrupt_exit_user_prepare_main+0x29c/0x320
interrupt_exit_user_prepare+0x6c/0xa0
interrupt_return_srr_user+0x8/0x138
Because ppr_get() is trying to copy from a PF_IO_WORKER with a NULL
pt_regs.
Check for a valid pt_regs in both ppc_get/ppr_set, and return an error
if not set. The actual error value doesn't seem to be important here, so
just pick -EINVAL.
[mpe: Trim oops in change log, add Fixes & Cc stable]
Impact
The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash. Typical impact: denial of service via crash.
CVE-2023-53326 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-2023-53326? CVE-2023-53326 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-2023-53326? CVE-2023-53326 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-2023-53326? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2023-53326 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2023-53326 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-53326 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-2023-53326 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.