CVE-2023-54276

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfsd: move init of percpu reply_cache_stats counters back to nfsd_init_net Commit f5f9d4a314da ("nfsd: move reply cache initialization into nfsd startup") moved the initialization of the reply cache into nfsd startup, but didn't account for the stats counters, which can be accessed before nfsd is ever started. The result can be a NULL pointer dereference when someone accesses /proc/fs/nfsd/reply_cache_stats while nfsd is still shut down. This is a regression and a user-triggerable oops in the right situation: - non-x86_64 arch - /proc/fs/nfsd is mounted in the namespace - nfsd is not started in the namespace - unprivileged user calls "cat /proc/fs/nfsd/reply_cache_stats" Although this is easy to trigger on some arches (like aarch64), on x86_64, calling this_cpu_ptr(NULL) evidently returns a pointer to the fixed_percpu_data. That struct looks just enough like a newly initialized percpu var to allow nfsd_reply_cache_stats_show to access it without Oopsing. Move the initialization of the per-net+per-cpu reply-cache counters back into nfsd_init_net, while leaving the rest of the reply cache allocations to be done at nfsd startup time. Kudos to Eirik who did most of the legwork to track this down.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2025-12-30
Last modified 2026-04-15
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 6.3 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.4.4, 6.5 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 6.3
Fixed in
✓ 6.4.4 6.4.x ✓ 6.5

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2023-54276 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-2023-54276?

    CVE-2023-54276 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.3 onward and has been patched in 6.4.4 and 6.5. CVE-2023-54276 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2023-54276?

    Yes — CVE-2023-54276 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.4.4 and 6.5. If you are running Linux kernel 6.3 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2023-54276 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2023-54276 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.