Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: qed: allow sleep in...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
qed: allow sleep in qed_mcp_trace_dump()
By default, qed_mcp_cmd_and_union() delays 10us at a time in a loop
that can run 500K times, so calls to qed_mcp_nvm_rd_cmd()
may block the current thread for over 5s.
We observed thread scheduling delays over 700ms in production,
with stacktraces pointing to this code as the culprit.
qed_mcp_trace_dump() is called from ethtool, so sleeping is permitted.
It already can sleep in qed_mcp_halt(), which calls qed_mcp_cmd().
Add a "can sleep" parameter to qed_find_nvram_image() and
qed_nvram_read() so they can sleep during qed_mcp_trace_dump().
qed_mcp_trace_get_meta_info() and qed_mcp_trace_read_meta(),
called only by qed_mcp_trace_dump(), allow these functions to sleep.
I can't tell if the other caller (qed_grc_dump_mcp_hw_dump()) can sleep,
so keep b_can_sleep set to false when it calls these functions.
An example stacktrace from a custom warning we added to the kernel
showing a thread that has not scheduled despite long needing resched:
[ 2745.362925,17] ------------[ cut here ]------------
[ 2745.362941,17] WARNING: CPU: 23 PID: 5640 at arch/x86/kernel/irq.c:233 do_IRQ+0x15e/0x1a0()
[ 2745.362946,17] Thread not rescheduled for 744 ms after irq 99
[ 2745.362956,17] Modules linked in: ...
[ 2745.363339,17] CPU: 23 PID: 5640 Comm: lldpd Tainted: P O 4.4.182+ #202104120910+6d1da174272d.61x
[ 2745.363343,17] Hardware name: FOXCONN MercuryB/Quicksilver Controller, BIOS H11P1N09 07/08/2020
[ 2745.363346,17] 0000000000000000 ffff885ec07c3ed8 ffffffff8131eb2f ffff885ec07c3f20
[ 2745.363358,17] ffffffff81d14f64 ffff885ec07c3f10 ffffffff81072ac2 ffff88be98ed0000
[ 2745.363369,17] 0000000000000063 0000000000000174 0000000000000074 0000000000000000
[ 2745.363379,17] Call Trace:
[ 2745.363382,17] [] dump_stack+0x8e/0xcf
[ 2745.363393,17] [] warn_slowpath_common+0x82/0xc0
[ 2745.363398,17] [] warn_slowpath_fmt+0x4c/0x50
[ 2745.363404,17] [] ? rcu_irq_exit+0xae/0xc0
[ 2745.363408,17] [] do_IRQ+0x15e/0x1a0
[ 2745.363413,17] [] common_interrupt+0x89/0x89
[ 2745.363416,17] [] ? delay_tsc+0x24/0x50
[ 2745.363425,17] [] __udelay+0x34/0x40
[ 2745.363457,17] [] qed_mcp_cmd_and_union+0x36f/0x7d0 [qed]
[ 2745.363473,17] [] qed_mcp_nvm_rd_cmd+0x4d/0x90 [qed]
[ 2745.363490,17] [] qed_mcp_trace_dump+0x4a7/0x630 [qed]
[ 2745.363504,17] [] ? qed_fw_asserts_dump+0x1d6/0x1f0 [qed]
[ 2745.363520,17] [] qed_dbg_mcp_trace_get_dump_buf_size+0x37/0x80 [qed]
[ 2745.363536,17] [] qed_dbg_feature_size+0x61/0xa0 [qed]
[ 2745.363551,17] [] qed_dbg_all_data_size+0x247/0x260 [qed]
[ 2745.363560,17] [] qede_get_regs_len+0x30/0x40 [qede]
[ 2745.363566,17] [] ethtool_get_drvinfo+0xe3/0x190
[ 2745.363570,17] [] dev_ethtool+0x1362/0x2140
[ 2745.363575,17] [] ? finish_task_switch+0x76/0x260
[ 2745.363580,17] [] ? __schedule+0x3c6/0x9d0
[ 2745.363585,17] [] ? hrtimer_start_range_ns+0x1d0/0x370
[ 2745.363589,17] [] ? dev_get_by_name_rcu+0x6b/0x90
[ 2745.363594,17] [] dev_ioctl+0xe8/0x710
[ 2745.363599,17] [] sock_do_ioctl+0x48/0x60
[ 2745.363603,17] [] sock_ioctl+0x1c7/0x280
[ 2745.363608,17] [] ? seccomp_phase1+0x83/0x220
[ 2745.363612,17] [] do_vfs_ioctl+0x2b3/0x4e0
[ 2745.363616,17] [] SyS_ioctl+0x41/0x70
[ 2745.363619,17] [] entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath+0x1e/0x79
[ 2745.363622,17] ---[ end trace f6954aa440266421 ]---
Impact
CVE-2023-53509 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-2023-53509? CVE-2023-53509 is a medium-severity security vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet.
- How severe is CVE-2023-53509? CVE-2023-53509 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-2023-53509? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2023-53509 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2023-53509 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-53509 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-2023-53509 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.