Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ring-buffer: Fix deadloop...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ring-buffer: Fix deadloop issue on reading trace_pipe
Soft lockup occurs when reading file 'trace_pipe':
watchdog: BUG: soft lockup - CPU#6 stuck for 22s! [cat:4488]
[...]
RIP: 0010:ring_buffer_empty_cpu+0xed/0x170
RSP: 0018:ffff88810dd6fc48 EFLAGS: 00000246
RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: 0000000000000246 RCX: ffffffff93d1aaeb
RDX: ffff88810a280040 RSI: 0000000000000008 RDI: ffff88811164b218
RBP: ffff88811164b218 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: ffff88815156600f
R10: ffffed102a2acc01 R11: 0000000000000001 R12: 0000000051651901
R13: 0000000000000000 R14: ffff888115e49500 R15: 0000000000000000
[...]
CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
CR2: 00007f8d853c2000 CR3: 000000010dcd8000 CR4: 00000000000006e0
DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000
DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400
Call Trace:
__find_next_entry+0x1a8/0x4b0
? peek_next_entry+0x250/0x250
? down_write+0xa5/0x120
? down_write_killable+0x130/0x130
trace_find_next_entry_inc+0x3b/0x1d0
tracing_read_pipe+0x423/0xae0
? tracing_splice_read_pipe+0xcb0/0xcb0
vfs_read+0x16b/0x490
ksys_read+0x105/0x210
? __ia32_sys_pwrite64+0x200/0x200
? switch_fpu_return+0x108/0x220
do_syscall_64+0x33/0x40
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x61/0xc6
Through the vmcore, I found it's because in tracing_read_pipe(),
ring_buffer_empty_cpu() found some buffer is not empty but then it
cannot read anything due to "rb_num_of_entries() == 0" always true,
Then it infinitely loop the procedure due to user buffer not been
filled, see following code path:
tracing_read_pipe() {
... ...
waitagain:
tracing_wait_pipe() // 1. find non-empty buffer here
trace_find_next_entry_inc() // 2. loop here try to find an entry
__find_next_entry()
ring_buffer_empty_cpu(); // 3. find non-empty buffer
peek_next_entry() // 4. but peek always return NULL
ring_buffer_peek()
rb_buffer_peek()
rb_get_reader_page()
// 5. because rb_num_of_entries() == 0 always true here
// then return NULL
// 6. user buffer not been filled so goto 'waitgain'
// and eventually leads to an deadloop in kernel!!!
}
By some analyzing, I found that when resetting ringbuffer, the 'entries'
of its pages are not all cleared (see rb_reset_cpu()). Then when reducing
the ringbuffer, and if some reduced pages exist dirty 'entries' data, they
will be added into 'cpu_buffer->overrun' (see rb_remove_pages()), which
cause wrong 'overrun' count and eventually cause the deadloop issue.
To fix it, we need to clear every pages in rb_reset_cpu().
Impact
A read operation accesses a memory location beyond the intended buffer boundary. Typical impact: sensitive data disclosure or crash.
CVE-2023-53668 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (High). 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-2023-53668? CVE-2023-53668 is a high-severity out-of-bounds read vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet. A read operation accesses a memory location beyond the intended buffer boundary.
- How severe is CVE-2023-53668? CVE-2023-53668 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (High). 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-2023-53668? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2023-53668 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2023-53668 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-53668 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-2023-53668 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.