Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: blk-cgroup: Reinit...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
blk-cgroup: Reinit blkg_iostat_set after clearing in blkcg_reset_stats()
When blkg_alloc() is called to allocate a blkcg_gq structure
with the associated blkg_iostat_set's, there are 2 fields within
blkg_iostat_set that requires proper initialization - blkg & sync.
The former field was introduced by commit 3b8cc6298724 ("blk-cgroup:
Optimize blkcg_rstat_flush()") while the later one was introduced by
commit f73316482977 ("blk-cgroup: reimplement basic IO stats using
cgroup rstat").
Unfortunately those fields in the blkg_iostat_set's are not properly
re-initialized when they are cleared in v1's blkcg_reset_stats(). This
can lead to a kernel panic due to NULL pointer access of the blkg
pointer. The missing initialization of sync is less problematic and
can be a problem in a debug kernel due to missing lockdep initialization.
Fix these problems by re-initializing them after memory clearing.
Impact
The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash. Typical impact: denial of service via crash.
CVE-2023-53421 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-2023-53421? CVE-2023-53421 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-2023-53421? CVE-2023-53421 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-2023-53421? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2023-53421 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2023-53421 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-53421 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-2023-53421 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.