CVE-2023-53101

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: zero i_disksize when initializing the bootloader inode If the boot loader inode has never been used before, the EXT4_IOC_SWAP_BOOT inode will initialize it, including setting the i_size to 0. However, if the "never before used" boot loader has a non-zero i_size, then i_disksize will be non-zero, and the inconsistency between i_size and i_disksize can trigger a kernel warning: WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 2580 at fs/ext4/file.c:319 CPU: 0 PID: 2580 Comm: bb Not tainted 6.3.0-rc1-00004-g703695902cfa RIP: 0010:ext4_file_write_iter+0xbc7/0xd10 Call Trace: vfs_write+0x3b1/0x5c0 ksys_write+0x77/0x160 __x64_sys_write+0x22/0x30 do_syscall_64+0x39/0x80 Reproducer: 1. create corrupted image and mount it: mke2fs -t ext4 /tmp/foo.img 200 debugfs -wR "sif <5> size 25700" /tmp/foo.img mount -t ext4 /tmp/foo.img /mnt cd /mnt echo 123 > file 2. Run the reproducer program: posix_memalign(&buf, 1024, 1024) fd = open("file", O_RDWR | O_DIRECT); ioctl(fd, EXT4_IOC_SWAP_BOOT); write(fd, buf, 1024); Fix this by setting i_disksize as well as i_size to zero when initiaizing the boot loader inode.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2025-05-02
Last modified 2025-11-10
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

5.5

out of 10
Medium
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
High
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 3.10 and later are affected. Fixed in 4.14.310, 4.19.278, 5.4.237, 5.10.175, 5.15.103, 6.1.20, 6.2.7, 6.3 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 3.10
Fixed in
✓ 4.14.310 4.14.x ✓ 4.19.278 4.19.x ✓ 5.4.237 5.4.x ✓ 5.10.175 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.103 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.20 6.1.x ✓ 6.2.7 6.2.x ✓ 6.3

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2023-53101 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

8 patch commits total View all on NVD

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2023-53101?

    CVE-2023-53101 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 3.10 onward and has been patched in 4.14.310, 4.19.278, 5.4.237 and others. CVE-2023-53101 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2023-53101?

    CVE-2023-53101 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2023-53101?

    Yes — CVE-2023-53101 has been patched. Fixed versions include 4.14.310, 4.19.278, 5.4.237 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 3.10 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2023-53101 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2023-53101 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

Back to
All CVEs
View on
NVD / NIST