CVE-2023-53577

High

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf, cpumap: Make sure kthread is running before map update returns The following warning was reported when running stress-mode enabled xdp_redirect_cpu with some RT threads: ------------[ cut here ]------------ WARNING: CPU: 4 PID: 65 at kernel/bpf/cpumap.c:135 CPU: 4 PID: 65 Comm: kworker/4:1 Not tainted 6.5.0-rc2+ #1 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996) Workqueue: events cpu_map_kthread_stop RIP: 0010:put_cpu_map_entry+0xda/0x220 ...... Call Trace: <TASK> ? show_regs+0x65/0x70 ? __warn+0xa5/0x240 ...... ? put_cpu_map_entry+0xda/0x220 cpu_map_kthread_stop+0x41/0x60 process_one_work+0x6b0/0xb80 worker_thread+0x96/0x720 kthread+0x1a5/0x1f0 ret_from_fork+0x3a/0x70 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1b/0x30 </TASK> The root cause is the same as commit 436901649731 ("bpf: cpumap: Fix memory leak in cpu_map_update_elem"). The kthread is stopped prematurely by kthread_stop() in cpu_map_kthread_stop(), and kthread() doesn't call cpu_map_kthread_run() at all but XDP program has already queued some frames or skbs into ptr_ring. So when __cpu_map_ring_cleanup() checks the ptr_ring, it will find it was not emptied and report a warning. An alternative fix is to use __cpu_map_ring_cleanup() to drop these pending frames or skbs when kthread_stop() returns -EINTR, but it may confuse the user, because these frames or skbs have been handled correctly by XDP program. So instead of dropping these frames or skbs, just make sure the per-cpu kthread is running before __cpu_map_entry_alloc() returns. After apply the fix, the error handle for kthread_stop() will be unnecessary because it will always return 0, so just remove it.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2025-10-04
Last modified 2026-03-23
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

7.8

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

Weakness type

CWE-401

CVE-2023-53577 is a Memory Leak vulnerability

What is Memory Leak?

The product does not release memory after use, causing gradual resource exhaustion. Learn more on MITRE CWE

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 4.15 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.15.126, 6.1.45, 6.4.10, 6.5 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 4.15
Fixed in
✓ 5.15.126 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.45 6.1.x ✓ 6.4.10 6.4.x ✓ 6.5

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2023-53577 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-2023-53577?

    CVE-2023-53577 is a High severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10 , classified as a Memory Leak flaw (CWE-401) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.15 onward and has been patched in 5.15.126, 6.1.45, 6.4.10 and others. CVE-2023-53577 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2023-53577?

    CVE-2023-53577 has a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10, rated High severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2023-53577?

    Yes — CVE-2023-53577 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.15.126, 6.1.45, 6.4.10 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.15 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2023-53577 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2023-53577 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

  • What is Memory Leak (CWE-401)?

    The product does not release memory after use, causing gradual resource exhaustion. View CWE-401 on MITRE CWE →