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CVE-2023-53790
bpf: Zeroing allocated object from slab in bpf memory allocator
Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Zeroing allocated object from slab in bpf memory allocator Currently the freed element in bpf memory allocator may be immediately reused, for htab map the reuse will reinitialize special fields in map value (e.g., bpf_spin_lock), but lookup procedure may still access these special fields, and it may lead to hard-lockup as shown below: NMI backtrace for cpu 16 CPU: 16 PID: 2574 Comm: htab.bin Tainted: G L 6.1.0+ #1 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), RIP: 0010:queued_spin_lock_slowpath+0x283/0x2c0 ...... Call Trace: <TASK> copy_map_value_locked+0xb7/0x170 bpf_map_copy_value+0x113/0x3c0 __sys_bpf+0x1c67/0x2780 __x64_sys_bpf+0x1c/0x20 do_syscall_64+0x30/0x60 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x46/0xb0 ...... </TASK> For htab map, just like the preallocated case, these is no need to initialize these special fields in map value again once these fields have been initialized. For preallocated htab map, these fields are initialized through __GFP_ZERO in bpf_map_area_alloc(), so do the similar thing for non-preallocated htab in bpf memory allocator. And there is no need to use __GFP_ZERO for per-cpu bpf memory allocator, because __alloc_percpu_gfp() does it implicitly.

INFO

Published Date :

Dec. 9, 2025, 1:16 a.m.

Last Modified :

Dec. 9, 2025, 6:37 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

No

Source :

416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2023-53790 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Linux linux_kernel
: Total Affected Vendor : 1 | Products : 1
Solution
Apply kernel updates to fix a memory corruption issue in the bpf memory allocator.
  • Update the Linux kernel to the latest version.
  • Verify the fix is applied in the new kernel version.
  • Reboot the system after updating the kernel.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2023-53790.

URL Resource
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5d447e04290e78bdc1a3a6c321320d384e09c2f1
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/678ea18d6240299fd77d7000c8b1d7e5f274c8af
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/997849c4b969034e225153f41026657def66d286
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2023-53790 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2023-53790 weaknesses.

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2023-53790 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

Results are limited to the first 20 news articles due to potential performance issues.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2023-53790 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

    Dec. 09, 2025

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Zeroing allocated object from slab in bpf memory allocator Currently the freed element in bpf memory allocator may be immediately reused, for htab map the reuse will reinitialize special fields in map value (e.g., bpf_spin_lock), but lookup procedure may still access these special fields, and it may lead to hard-lockup as shown below: NMI backtrace for cpu 16 CPU: 16 PID: 2574 Comm: htab.bin Tainted: G L 6.1.0+ #1 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), RIP: 0010:queued_spin_lock_slowpath+0x283/0x2c0 ...... Call Trace: <TASK> copy_map_value_locked+0xb7/0x170 bpf_map_copy_value+0x113/0x3c0 __sys_bpf+0x1c67/0x2780 __x64_sys_bpf+0x1c/0x20 do_syscall_64+0x30/0x60 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x46/0xb0 ...... </TASK> For htab map, just like the preallocated case, these is no need to initialize these special fields in map value again once these fields have been initialized. For preallocated htab map, these fields are initialized through __GFP_ZERO in bpf_map_area_alloc(), so do the similar thing for non-preallocated htab in bpf memory allocator. And there is no need to use __GFP_ZERO for per-cpu bpf memory allocator, because __alloc_percpu_gfp() does it implicitly.
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5d447e04290e78bdc1a3a6c321320d384e09c2f1
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/678ea18d6240299fd77d7000c8b1d7e5f274c8af
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/997849c4b969034e225153f41026657def66d286
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.
Vulnerability Scoring Details
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