CVE-2023-53563

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cpufreq: amd-pstate-ut: Fix kernel panic when loading the driver After loading the amd-pstate-ut driver, amd_pstate_ut_check_perf() and amd_pstate_ut_check_freq() use cpufreq_cpu_get() to get the policy of the CPU and mark it as busy. In these functions, cpufreq_cpu_put() should be used to release the policy, but it is not, so any other entity trying to access the policy is blocked indefinitely. One such scenario is when amd_pstate mode is changed, leading to the following splat: [ 1332.103727] INFO: task bash:2929 blocked for more than 120 seconds. [ 1332.110001] Not tainted 6.5.0-rc2-amd-pstate-ut #5 [ 1332.115315] "echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/hung_task_timeout_secs" disables this message. [ 1332.123140] task:bash state:D stack:0 pid:2929 ppid:2873 flags:0x00004006 [ 1332.123143] Call Trace: [ 1332.123145] <TASK> [ 1332.123148] __schedule+0x3c1/0x16a0 [ 1332.123154] ? _raw_read_lock_irqsave+0x2d/0x70 [ 1332.123157] schedule+0x6f/0x110 [ 1332.123160] schedule_timeout+0x14f/0x160 [ 1332.123162] ? preempt_count_add+0x86/0xd0 [ 1332.123165] __wait_for_common+0x92/0x190 [ 1332.123168] ? __pfx_schedule_timeout+0x10/0x10 [ 1332.123170] wait_for_completion+0x28/0x30 [ 1332.123173] cpufreq_policy_put_kobj+0x4d/0x90 [ 1332.123177] cpufreq_policy_free+0x157/0x1d0 [ 1332.123178] ? preempt_count_add+0x58/0xd0 [ 1332.123180] cpufreq_remove_dev+0xb6/0x100 [ 1332.123182] subsys_interface_unregister+0x114/0x120 [ 1332.123185] ? preempt_count_add+0x58/0xd0 [ 1332.123187] ? __pfx_amd_pstate_change_driver_mode+0x10/0x10 [ 1332.123190] cpufreq_unregister_driver+0x3b/0xd0 [ 1332.123192] amd_pstate_change_driver_mode+0x1e/0x50 [ 1332.123194] store_status+0xe9/0x180 [ 1332.123197] dev_attr_store+0x1b/0x30 [ 1332.123199] sysfs_kf_write+0x42/0x50 [ 1332.123202] kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x143/0x1d0 [ 1332.123204] vfs_write+0x2df/0x400 [ 1332.123208] ksys_write+0x6b/0xf0 [ 1332.123210] __x64_sys_write+0x1d/0x30 [ 1332.123213] do_syscall_64+0x60/0x90 [ 1332.123216] ? fpregs_assert_state_consistent+0x2e/0x50 [ 1332.123219] ? exit_to_user_mode_prepare+0x49/0x1a0 [ 1332.123223] ? irqentry_exit_to_user_mode+0xd/0x20 [ 1332.123225] ? irqentry_exit+0x3f/0x50 [ 1332.123226] ? exc_page_fault+0x8e/0x190 [ 1332.123228] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x6e/0xd8 [ 1332.123232] RIP: 0033:0x7fa74c514a37 [ 1332.123234] RSP: 002b:00007ffe31dd0788 EFLAGS: 00000246 ORIG_RAX: 0000000000000001 [ 1332.123238] RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 0000000000000008 RCX: 00007fa74c514a37 [ 1332.123239] RDX: 0000000000000008 RSI: 000055e27c447aa0 RDI: 0000000000000001 [ 1332.123241] RBP: 000055e27c447aa0 R08: 00007fa74c5d1460 R09: 000000007fffffff [ 1332.123242] R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000246 R12: 0000000000000008 [ 1332.123244] R13: 00007fa74c61a780 R14: 00007fa74c616600 R15: 00007fa74c615a00 [ 1332.123247] </TASK> Fix this by calling cpufreq_cpu_put() wherever necessary. [ rjw: Subject and changelog edits ]

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2025-10-04
Last modified 2026-03-21
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 6.1 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.1.53, 6.4.16, 6.5.3, 6.6 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 6.1
Fixed in
✓ 6.1.53 6.1.x ✓ 6.4.16 6.4.x ✓ 6.5.3 6.5.x ✓ 6.6

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2023-53563 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2023-53563?

    CVE-2023-53563 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.1 onward and has been patched in 6.1.53, 6.4.16, 6.5.3 and others. CVE-2023-53563 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2023-53563?

    CVE-2023-53563 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-2023-53563?

    Yes — CVE-2023-53563 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.1.53, 6.4.16, 6.5.3 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 6.1 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2023-53563 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2023-53563 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.