CVE-2023-53838 (GCVE-0-2023-53838)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2025-12-09 01:29 – Updated: 2026-08-05 09:16
VLAI
Title
f2fs: synchronize atomic write aborts
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: f2fs: synchronize atomic write aborts To fix a race condition between atomic write aborts, I use the inode lock and make COW inode to be re-usable thoroughout the whole atomic file inode lifetime.
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
Linux Linux Affected: 3db1de0e582c358dd013f3703cd55b5fe4076436 , < 102b82708c1523b36d421cb8687746906069bc17 (git)
Affected: 3db1de0e582c358dd013f3703cd55b5fe4076436 , < b7724360714642099cec907f54f42e55f5325453 (git)
Affected: 3db1de0e582c358dd013f3703cd55b5fe4076436 , < a46bebd502fe1a3bd1d22f64cedd93e7e7702693 (git)
Affected: 6db52f1944417c2601182a591a704e2f119c5215 (git)
Affected: 5.18.18 , < 5.19 (semver)
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Linux Linux Affected: 5.19
Unaffected: 0 , < 5.19 (semver)
Unaffected: 6.1.18 , ≤ 6.1.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.2.5 , ≤ 6.2.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.3 , ≤ * (original_commit_for_fix)
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{
  "containers": {
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "fs/f2fs/file.c",
            "fs/f2fs/inode.c",
            "fs/f2fs/segment.c",
            "fs/f2fs/super.c"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "versions": [
            {
              "lessThan": "102b82708c1523b36d421cb8687746906069bc17",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "3db1de0e582c358dd013f3703cd55b5fe4076436",
              "versionType": "git"
            },
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              "lessThan": "b7724360714642099cec907f54f42e55f5325453",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "3db1de0e582c358dd013f3703cd55b5fe4076436",
              "versionType": "git"
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              "status": "affected",
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              "versionType": "git"
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              "versionType": "git"
            },
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            "fs/f2fs/inode.c",
            "fs/f2fs/segment.c",
            "fs/f2fs/super.c"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "versions": [
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              "version": "5.19"
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              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "0",
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              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.1.18",
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              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.2.5",
              "versionType": "semver"
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              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.3",
              "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
            }
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        }
      ],
      "cpeApplicability": [
        {
          "nodes": [
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              "cpeMatch": [
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                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "6.1.18",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "5.19",
                  "vulnerable": true
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                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
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                  "versionStartIncluding": "5.19",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
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                  "versionStartIncluding": "5.18.18",
                  "vulnerable": true
                }
              ],
              "negate": false,
              "operator": "OR"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nf2fs: synchronize atomic write aborts\n\nTo fix a race condition between atomic write aborts, I use the inode\nlock and make COW inode to be re-usable thoroughout the whole\natomic file inode lifetime."
        }
      ],
      "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 race is driven entirely through local syscalls \u2014 `ioctl(F2FS_IOC_START_ATOMIC_WRITE/ABORT_ATOMIC_WRITE)` and `close()` \u2014 on a file residing on a mounted f2fs filesystem. No network or physical access is involved.\nAC:L - The attacker owns both sides of the race: it issues the unlocked `-\u003erelease` abort from its own `close()` in one thread while issuing the `inode_lock`-held abort ioctl from another, and can retry the loop indefinitely at no cost. The `inode_lock` provides no exclusion against the release path, so the window is wide and deterministic to hit.\nPR:L - `__f2fs_ioctl` gates the atomic-write ioctls only on `inode_owner_or_capable()`, which any unprivileged local user satisfies for a file they created on an f2fs mount (e.g. any Android app under /data). No capability, mount option, or crafted image is required.\nUI:N - The attacker performs every step itself \u2014 create file, start atomic write, race close against the abort ioctl. No victim action or cooperating process is needed; f2fs simply being mounted is an environmental default, not user interaction.\nS:U - The corruption stays within the kernel\u0027s own security authority \u2014 a freed `struct inode` in `f2fs_inode_cachep`. There is no VM, IOMMU, or sandbox boundary crossed.\nC:H - The double `iput()` frees the COW `struct inode` while another thread still dereferences it, and `prepare_atomic_write_begin()` continues reading through the dangling `fi-\u003ecow_inode`. Reclaiming the freed slot with attacker-groomed objects gives an arbitrary kernel read primitive and leaks the contents of adjacent inodes.\nI:H - The losing thread performs `clear_bit()` and a dirty-list insertion into freed memory plus a second `iput()`, producing a double-free and refcount underflow on an inode object that embeds `i_op`, `i_fop`, and `a_ops` function-pointer tables \u2014 a classic write/control-flow-hijack primitive, alongside on-disk metadata corruption from the double evict.\nA:H - Even unexploited, the race yields inode refcount underflow, slab double-free, list corruption, and NULL/wild-pointer dereference via `F2FS_I(NULL)-\u003eflags`, all of which oops or panic the kernel. The attacker can trigger it repeatedly from an unprivileged loop."
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "providerMetadata": {
        "dateUpdated": "2026-08-05T09:16:21.177Z",
        "orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "shortName": "Linux"
      },
      "references": [
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/102b82708c1523b36d421cb8687746906069bc17"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b7724360714642099cec907f54f42e55f5325453"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a46bebd502fe1a3bd1d22f64cedd93e7e7702693"
        }
      ],
      "title": "f2fs: synchronize atomic write aborts",
      "x_generator": {
        "engine": "bippy-1.2.0"
      }
    }
  },
  "cveMetadata": {
    "assignerOrgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
    "assignerShortName": "Linux",
    "cveId": "CVE-2023-53838",
    "datePublished": "2025-12-09T01:29:54.419Z",
    "dateReserved": "2025-12-09T01:27:17.826Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-08-05T09:16:21.177Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
  "dataVersion": "5.2",
  "vulnerability-lookup:meta": {
    "epss": {
      "cve": "CVE-2023-53838",
      "date": "2026-08-09",
      "epss": "0.00189",
      "percentile": "0.08735"
    },
    "nvd": "{\"cve\":{\"id\":\"CVE-2023-53838\",\"sourceIdentifier\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\",\"published\":\"2025-12-09T16:17:23.400\",\"lastModified\":\"2026-08-04T10:19:23.710\",\"vulnStatus\":\"Deferred\",\"cveTags\":[],\"descriptions\":[{\"lang\":\"en\",\"value\":\"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\\n\\nf2fs: synchronize atomic write aborts\\n\\nTo fix a race condition between atomic write aborts, I use the inode\\nlock and make COW inode to be re-usable thoroughout the whole\\natomic file inode lifetime.\"}],\"affected\":[{\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\",\"affectedData\":[{\"vendor\":\"Linux\",\"product\":\"Linux\",\"defaultStatus\":\"unaffected\",\"programFiles\":[\"fs/f2fs/file.c\",\"fs/f2fs/inode.c\",\"fs/f2fs/segment.c\",\"fs/f2fs/super.c\"],\"repo\":\"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git\",\"versions\":[{\"version\":\"3db1de0e582c358dd013f3703cd55b5fe4076436\",\"lessThan\":\"102b82708c1523b36d421cb8687746906069bc17\",\"versionType\":\"git\",\"status\":\"affected\"},{\"version\":\"3db1de0e582c358dd013f3703cd55b5fe4076436\",\"lessThan\":\"b7724360714642099cec907f54f42e55f5325453\",\"versionType\":\"git\",\"status\":\"affected\"},{\"version\":\"3db1de0e582c358dd013f3703cd55b5fe4076436\",\"lessThan\":\"a46bebd502fe1a3bd1d22f64cedd93e7e7702693\",\"versionType\":\"git\",\"status\":\"affected\"},{\"version\":\"6db52f1944417c2601182a591a704e2f119c5215\",\"versionType\":\"git\",\"status\":\"affected\"},{\"version\":\"5.18.18\",\"lessThan\":\"5.19\",\"versionType\":\"semver\",\"status\":\"affected\"}]},{\"vendor\":\"Linux\",\"product\":\"Linux\",\"defaultStatus\":\"affected\",\"programFiles\":[\"fs/f2fs/file.c\",\"fs/f2fs/inode.c\",\"fs/f2fs/segment.c\",\"fs/f2fs/super.c\"],\"repo\":\"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git\",\"versions\":[{\"version\":\"5.19\",\"status\":\"affected\"},{\"version\":\"0\",\"lessThan\":\"5.19\",\"versionType\":\"semver\",\"status\":\"unaffected\"},{\"version\":\"6.1.18\",\"lessThanOrEqual\":\"6.1.*\",\"versionType\":\"semver\",\"status\":\"unaffected\"},{\"version\":\"6.2.5\",\"lessThanOrEqual\":\"6.2.*\",\"versionType\":\"semver\",\"status\":\"unaffected\"},{\"version\":\"6.3\",\"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/102b82708c1523b36d421cb8687746906069bc17\",\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\"},{\"url\":\"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a46bebd502fe1a3bd1d22f64cedd93e7e7702693\",\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\"},{\"url\":\"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b7724360714642099cec907f54f42e55f5325453\",\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\"}]}}",
    "redhat_vex": {
      "aggregate_severity": "Moderate",
      "current_release_date": "2026-08-04T19:14:54+00:00",
      "cve": "CVE-2023-53838",
      "id": "CVE-2023-53838",
      "initial_release_date": "2023-01-01T00:00:00+00:00",
      "product_status:known_not_affected": "274",
      "source": "Red Hat CSAF VEX",
      "status": "final",
      "title": "kernel: f2fs: synchronize atomic write aborts",
      "url": "https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2023/cve-2023-53838.json",
      "version": "3"
    },
    "suse_vex": {
      "aggregate_severity": "moderate",
      "current_release_date": "2026-08-05T01:03:26Z",
      "cve": "CVE-2023-53838",
      "id": "CVE-2023-53838",
      "initial_release_date": "2025-12-10T00:35:00Z",
      "product_status:known_not_affected": "408",
      "source": "SUSE CSAF VEX",
      "status": "interim",
      "title": "SUSE CVE CVE-2023-53838",
      "url": "https://ftp.suse.com/pub/projects/security/csaf-vex/cve-2023-53838.json",
      "version": "8"
    }
  }
}



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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.

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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.


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