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CVE-2023-54088 (GCVE-0-2023-54088)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2025-12-24 13:06 – Updated: 2026-08-05 09:17
VLAI
Title
blk-cgroup: hold queue_lock when removing blkg->q_node
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: blk-cgroup: hold queue_lock when removing blkg->q_node When blkg is removed from q->blkg_list from blkg_free_workfn(), queue_lock has to be held, otherwise, all kinds of bugs(list corruption, hard lockup, ..) can be triggered from blkg_destroy_all().
Severity
7.8 (High)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Assigner
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version CPE status
Linux Linux Affected: 81c1188905f88b77743d1fdeeedfc8cb7b67787d , < b5dae1cd0d8368b4338430ff93403df67f0b8bcc (git)
Affected: bfe46d2efe46c5c952f982e2ca94fe2ec5e58e2a , < 083b58373463a6e5ee60ecb135269348f68ad7df (git)
Affected: f1c006f1c6850c14040f8337753a63119bba39b9 , < cd4ffdf56791eec95af01f06bee1ec7665ca75c4 (git)
Affected: f1c006f1c6850c14040f8337753a63119bba39b9 , < c164c7bc9775be7bcc68754bb3431fce5823822e (git)
Affected: 6.1.16 , < 6.1.17 (semver)
Affected: 6.2.3 , < 6.2.4 (semver)
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Linux Linux Affected: 6.3
Unaffected: 0 , < 6.3 (semver)
Unaffected: 6.1.17 , ≤ 6.1.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.2.4 , ≤ 6.2.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.4.12 , ≤ 6.4.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.5 , ≤ * (original_commit_for_fix)
guessed Create a notification for this product.
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{
  "containers": {
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "block/blk-cgroup.c"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "versions": [
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              "status": "affected",
              "version": "81c1188905f88b77743d1fdeeedfc8cb7b67787d",
              "versionType": "git"
            },
            {
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              "status": "affected",
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              "versionType": "git"
            },
            {
              "lessThan": "cd4ffdf56791eec95af01f06bee1ec7665ca75c4",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "f1c006f1c6850c14040f8337753a63119bba39b9",
              "versionType": "git"
            },
            {
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              "status": "affected",
              "version": "f1c006f1c6850c14040f8337753a63119bba39b9",
              "versionType": "git"
            },
            {
              "lessThan": "6.1.17",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "6.1.16",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
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              "status": "affected",
              "version": "6.2.3",
              "versionType": "semver"
            }
          ]
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        {
          "defaultStatus": "affected",
          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "block/blk-cgroup.c"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "versions": [
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "6.3"
            },
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              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "0",
              "versionType": "semver"
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              "versionType": "semver"
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              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.2.4",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
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              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.4.12",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.5",
              "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "cpeApplicability": [
        {
          "nodes": [
            {
              "cpeMatch": [
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "6.1.17",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "6.1.16",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "6.2.4",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "6.2.3",
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                },
                {
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                  "versionStartIncluding": "6.3",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "6.5",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "6.3",
                  "vulnerable": true
                }
              ],
              "negate": false,
              "operator": "OR"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nblk-cgroup: hold queue_lock when removing blkg-\u003eq_node\n\nWhen blkg is removed from q-\u003eblkg_list from blkg_free_workfn(), queue_lock\nhas to be held, otherwise, all kinds of bugs(list corruption, hard lockup,\n..) can be triggered from blkg_destroy_all()."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "cvssV3_1": {
            "baseScore": 7.8,
            "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
            "version": "3.1"
          },
          "scenarios": [
            {
              "lang": "en",
              "value": "AV:L - The bug is in the block cgroup layer (block/blk-cgroup.c) and is reached only through local operations \u2014 cgroup v2 mkdir/rmdir, block I/O to a device, and writes to io.* cgroup control files or disk teardown. No network-facing code path touches q-\u003eblkg_list.\nAC:L - The attacker drives both sides of the race: cgroup rmdir plus prior I/O queues many blkg_free_workfn() instances that do the unlocked list_del_init(\u0026blkg-\u003eq_node), while a concurrent io.latency write (blk_iolatency_init -\u003e blkcg_activate_policy) or disk teardown (blkg_destroy_all) walks q-\u003eblkg_list under queue_lock only. The window can be widened arbitrarily by creating thousands of blkgs and freeing them in bulk, and pd_free_fn() work inside the mutex lengthens it further.\nPR:L - An unprivileged local user suffices in the standard deployment where a cgroup v2 subtree is delegated (systemd user@.service, rootless containers): the user owns the io.* files in cgroups they create, so they can create/destroy blkgs and trigger policy activation. No real root or CAP_SYS_ADMIN in the init namespace is needed.\nUI:N - The race is triggered entirely by the attacker\u0027s own processes issuing I/O and manipulating their cgroups; no victim action is required.\nS:U - Corruption stays within the kernel\u0027s own security authority \u2014 this is a standard kernel memory-corruption/privilege-escalation primitive with no crossing of a VM, IOMMU, or hypervisor boundary.\nC:H - The unsynchronized list_del_init() lets list_for_each_entry_safe() in blkg_destroy_all() and the walkers in blkcg_activate_policy() follow stale next pointers into a blkcg_gq that blkg_free_workfn() then kfree()s, so the kernel reads and dereferences attacker-sprayable reclaimed slab contents \u2014 a use-after-free read that yields an arbitrary kernel-memory disclosure primitive.\nI:H - After the list is corrupted the kernel writes through the dangling entry: blkg-\u003epd[pol-\u003eplid] = pd, pd-\u003eonline = false, radix_tree_delete(), hlist_del_init_rcu(), rcu_assign_pointer(blkcg-\u003eblkg_hint, NULL) and percpu_ref_kill() all operate on freed/reallocated memory, giving controlled pointer writes and indirect calls suitable for privilege escalation.\nA:H - The commit message states that list corruption and hard lockup are directly triggerable from blkg_destroy_all(); a corrupted doubly-linked list walked under spin_lock_irq loops forever or oopses, panicking the machine."
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "providerMetadata": {
        "dateUpdated": "2026-08-05T09:17:07.550Z",
        "orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "shortName": "Linux"
      },
      "references": [
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b5dae1cd0d8368b4338430ff93403df67f0b8bcc"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/083b58373463a6e5ee60ecb135269348f68ad7df"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cd4ffdf56791eec95af01f06bee1ec7665ca75c4"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c164c7bc9775be7bcc68754bb3431fce5823822e"
        }
      ],
      "title": "blk-cgroup: hold queue_lock when removing blkg-\u003eq_node",
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        "engine": "bippy-1.2.0"
      }
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  },
  "cveMetadata": {
    "assignerOrgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
    "assignerShortName": "Linux",
    "cveId": "CVE-2023-54088",
    "datePublished": "2025-12-24T13:06:18.216Z",
    "dateReserved": "2025-12-24T13:02:52.515Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-08-05T09:17:07.550Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
  "dataVersion": "5.2",
  "vulnerability-lookup:meta": {
    "epss": {
      "cve": "CVE-2023-54088",
      "date": "2026-09-14",
      "epss": "0.0016",
      "percentile": "0.05559"
    },
    "nvd": "{\"cve\":{\"id\":\"CVE-2023-54088\",\"sourceIdentifier\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\",\"published\":\"2025-12-24T13:16:10.667\",\"lastModified\":\"2026-08-04T10:19:28.350\",\"vulnStatus\":\"Deferred\",\"cveTags\":[],\"descriptions\":[{\"lang\":\"en\",\"value\":\"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\\n\\nblk-cgroup: hold queue_lock when removing blkg-\u003eq_node\\n\\nWhen blkg is removed from q-\u003eblkg_list from blkg_free_workfn(), queue_lock\\nhas to be held, otherwise, all kinds of bugs(list corruption, hard lockup,\\n..) can be triggered from blkg_destroy_all().\"}],\"affected\":[{\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\",\"affectedData\":[{\"vendor\":\"Linux\",\"product\":\"Linux\",\"defaultStatus\":\"unaffected\",\"programFiles\":[\"block/blk-cgroup.c\"],\"repo\":\"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git\",\"versions\":[{\"version\":\"81c1188905f88b77743d1fdeeedfc8cb7b67787d\",\"lessThan\":\"b5dae1cd0d8368b4338430ff93403df67f0b8bcc\",\"versionType\":\"git\",\"status\":\"affected\"},{\"version\":\"bfe46d2efe46c5c952f982e2ca94fe2ec5e58e2a\",\"lessThan\":\"083b58373463a6e5ee60ecb135269348f68ad7df\",\"versionType\":\"git\",\"status\":\"affected\"},{\"version\":\"f1c006f1c6850c14040f8337753a63119bba39b9\",\"lessThan\":\"cd4ffdf56791eec95af01f06bee1ec7665ca75c4\",\"versionType\":\"git\",\"status\":\"affected\"},{\"version\":\"f1c006f1c6850c14040f8337753a63119bba39b9\",\"lessThan\":\"c164c7bc9775be7bcc68754bb3431fce5823822e\",\"versionType\":\"git\",\"status\":\"affected\"},{\"version\":\"6.1.16\",\"lessThan\":\"6.1.17\",\"versionType\":\"semver\",\"status\":\"affected\"},{\"version\":\"6.2.3\",\"lessThan\":\"6.2.4\",\"versionType\":\"semver\",\"status\":\"affected\"}]},{\"vendor\":\"Linux\",\"product\":\"Linux\",\"defaultStatus\":\"affected\",\"programFiles\":[\"block/blk-cgroup.c\"],\"repo\":\"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git\",\"versions\":[{\"version\":\"6.3\",\"status\":\"affected\"},{\"version\":\"0\",\"lessThan\":\"6.3\",\"versionType\":\"semver\",\"status\":\"unaffected\"},{\"version\":\"6.1.17\",\"lessThanOrEqual\":\"6.1.*\",\"versionType\":\"semver\",\"status\":\"unaffected\"},{\"version\":\"6.2.4\",\"lessThanOrEqual\":\"6.2.*\",\"versionType\":\"semver\",\"status\":\"unaffected\"},{\"version\":\"6.4.12\",\"lessThanOrEqual\":\"6.4.*\",\"versionType\":\"semver\",\"status\":\"unaffected\"},{\"version\":\"6.5\",\"lessThanOrEqual\":\"*\",\"versionType\":\"original_commit_for_fix\",\"status\":\"unaffected\"}]}]}],\"metrics\":{\"cvssMetricV31\":[{\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\",\"type\":\"Secondary\",\"cvssData\":{\"version\":\"3.1\",\"vectorString\":\"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H\",\"baseScore\":7.8,\"baseSeverity\":\"HIGH\",\"attackVector\":\"LOCAL\",\"attackComplexity\":\"LOW\",\"privilegesRequired\":\"LOW\",\"userInteraction\":\"NONE\",\"scope\":\"UNCHANGED\",\"confidentialityImpact\":\"HIGH\",\"integrityImpact\":\"HIGH\",\"availabilityImpact\":\"HIGH\"},\"exploitabilityScore\":1.8,\"impactScore\":5.9}]},\"references\":[{\"url\":\"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/083b58373463a6e5ee60ecb135269348f68ad7df\",\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\"},{\"url\":\"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b5dae1cd0d8368b4338430ff93403df67f0b8bcc\",\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\"},{\"url\":\"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c164c7bc9775be7bcc68754bb3431fce5823822e\",\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\"},{\"url\":\"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cd4ffdf56791eec95af01f06bee1ec7665ca75c4\",\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\"}]}}",
    "redhat_vex": {
      "aggregate_severity": "Low",
      "current_release_date": "2026-08-04T22:54:17+00:00",
      "cve": "CVE-2023-54088",
      "id": "CVE-2023-54088",
      "initial_release_date": "2023-01-01T00:00:00+00:00",
      "product_status:known_affected": "122",
      "product_status:known_not_affected": "152",
      "source": "Red Hat CSAF VEX",
      "status": "final",
      "title": "kernel: blk-cgroup: hold queue_lock when removing blkg-\u003eq_node",
      "url": "https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2023/cve-2023-54088.json",
      "version": "3"
    }
  }
}



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Forecast uses a logistic model when the trend is rising, or an exponential decay model when the trend is falling. Fitted via linearized least squares.

Sightings

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Nomenclature

  • Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
  • Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
  • Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
  • Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
  • Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.


Detection rules are retrieved from Rulezet.