CVE-2023-53988 (GCVE-0-2023-53988)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2025-12-24 10:55 – Updated: 2026-08-05 09:16
VLAI
Title
fs/ntfs3: Fix slab-out-of-bounds read in hdr_delete_de()
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/ntfs3: Fix slab-out-of-bounds read in hdr_delete_de() Here is a BUG report from syzbot: BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in hdr_delete_de+0xe0/0x150 fs/ntfs3/index.c:806 Read of size 16842960 at addr ffff888079cc0600 by task syz-executor934/3631 Call Trace: memmove+0x25/0x60 mm/kasan/shadow.c:54 hdr_delete_de+0xe0/0x150 fs/ntfs3/index.c:806 indx_delete_entry+0x74f/0x3670 fs/ntfs3/index.c:2193 ni_remove_name+0x27a/0x980 fs/ntfs3/frecord.c:2910 ntfs_unlink_inode+0x3d4/0x720 fs/ntfs3/inode.c:1712 ntfs_rename+0x41a/0xcb0 fs/ntfs3/namei.c:276 Before using the meta-data in struct INDEX_HDR, we need to check index header valid or not. Otherwise, the corruptedi (or malicious) fs image can cause out-of-bounds access which could make kernel panic.
Severity
7.8 (High)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Assigner
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version
Linux Linux Affected: 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17 , < c58ea97aa94f033ee64a8cb6587d84a9849b6216 (git)
Affected: 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17 , < 9163a5b4ed290da4a7d23fa92533e0e81fd0166e (git)
Affected: 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17 , < 114204d25e1dffdd3a0c1cfbba219afd344f4b4f (git)
Affected: 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17 , < 4a034ece7e2877673d9085d6e7ed45e6ee40b761 (git)
Affected: 82cae269cfa953032fbb8980a7d554d60fb00b17 , < ab84eee4c7ab929996602eda7832854c35a6dda2 (git)
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Linux Linux Affected: 5.15
Unaffected: 0 , < 5.15 (semver)
Unaffected: 5.15.111 , ≤ 5.15.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.1.28 , ≤ 6.1.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.2.15 , ≤ 6.2.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.3.2 , ≤ 6.3.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.4 , ≤ * (original_commit_for_fix)
Create a notification for this product.
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{
  "containers": {
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "fs/ntfs3/fslog.c",
            "fs/ntfs3/index.c",
            "fs/ntfs3/ntfs_fs.h"
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          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
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          "versions": [
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            "fs/ntfs3/index.c",
            "fs/ntfs3/ntfs_fs.h"
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          "vendor": "Linux",
          "versions": [
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              "version": "0",
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              "version": "5.15.111",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
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              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.1.28",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "6.2.*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.2.15",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "6.3.*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.3.2",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.4",
              "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "cpeApplicability": [
        {
          "nodes": [
            {
              "cpeMatch": [
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                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "5.15.111",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "5.15",
                  "vulnerable": true
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                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "6.1.28",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "5.15",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "6.2.15",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "5.15",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
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              "negate": false,
              "operator": "OR"
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      ],
      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nfs/ntfs3: Fix slab-out-of-bounds read in hdr_delete_de()\n\nHere is a BUG report from syzbot:\n\nBUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in hdr_delete_de+0xe0/0x150 fs/ntfs3/index.c:806\nRead of size 16842960 at addr ffff888079cc0600 by task syz-executor934/3631\n\nCall Trace:\n memmove+0x25/0x60 mm/kasan/shadow.c:54\n hdr_delete_de+0xe0/0x150 fs/ntfs3/index.c:806\n indx_delete_entry+0x74f/0x3670 fs/ntfs3/index.c:2193\n ni_remove_name+0x27a/0x980 fs/ntfs3/frecord.c:2910\n ntfs_unlink_inode+0x3d4/0x720 fs/ntfs3/inode.c:1712\n ntfs_rename+0x41a/0xcb0 fs/ntfs3/namei.c:276\n\nBefore using the meta-data in struct INDEX_HDR, we need to\ncheck index header valid or not. Otherwise, the corruptedi\n(or malicious) fs image can cause out-of-bounds access which\ncould make kernel panic."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "cvssV3_1": {
            "baseScore": 7.8,
            "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
            "version": "3.1"
          },
          "scenarios": [
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              "lang": "en",
              "value": "AV:L - The malicious INDEX_HDR fields arrive via a mounted NTFS volume (USB stick, loop-mounted image, NBD/VM disk), and the bug is triggered through a local rename()/unlink() syscall. No network protocol is involved, and physical access is not required since the image can be delivered as a file, so Local rather than Physical.\nAC:L - The attacker fully controls hdr-\u003eused, hdr-\u003ede_off and the entry size in the crafted image, so the oversized memmove length is chosen deterministically and fires on the first rename/unlink of the crafted directory entry. There is no race, no timing window, and no dependence on memory layout to reach the corruption.\nPR:N - The attacker needs no account or privilege on the target \u2014 they merely supply the crafted NTFS image or removable device, matching the established scoring for this ntfs3 hostile-image class. Once the volume is mounted, plain directory-write access is all that is needed to reach ntfs_rename().\nUI:R - A victim (or an automount daemon acting on their behalf, e.g. udisks2 on USB insertion) must mount the attacker\u0027s NTFS volume, and a rename/unlink must be performed against it. This is the standard user-interaction requirement for crafted-filesystem-image bugs.\nS:U - The out-of-bounds access corrupts kernel slab memory within the same kernel security authority. No VM, sandbox, or IOMMU boundary is crossed.\nC:H - The memmove reads up to ~16 MB past the slab object, and the callers immediately persist the buffer back to the volume via indx_write()/mi_write(), writing adjacent kernel heap contents onto the attacker\u0027s image for later retrieval. That is a large, effectively unbounded kernel-memory disclosure primitive.\nI:H - The same memmove writes that attacker-influenced multi-megabyte length starting inside the index buffer, overwriting arbitrary adjacent slab objects with shifted heap data. Heap corruption of this magnitude is leverageable for control-flow hijack and privilege escalation.\nA:H - An unbounded ~16 MB memmove past a ~1 KB kmalloc object destroys allocator metadata and touches unmapped memory, producing the KASAN-reported fault and a kernel panic. The commit message explicitly states the corrupted image \"could make kernel panic.\""
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "providerMetadata": {
        "dateUpdated": "2026-08-05T09:16:30.837Z",
        "orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "shortName": "Linux"
      },
      "references": [
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c58ea97aa94f033ee64a8cb6587d84a9849b6216"
        },
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          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9163a5b4ed290da4a7d23fa92533e0e81fd0166e"
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        {
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        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ab84eee4c7ab929996602eda7832854c35a6dda2"
        }
      ],
      "title": "fs/ntfs3: Fix slab-out-of-bounds read in hdr_delete_de()",
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    "assignerShortName": "Linux",
    "cveId": "CVE-2023-53988",
    "datePublished": "2025-12-24T10:55:27.762Z",
    "dateReserved": "2025-12-24T10:53:46.175Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-08-05T09:16:30.837Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
  "dataVersion": "5.2",
  "vulnerability-lookup:meta": {
    "epss": {
      "cve": "CVE-2023-53988",
      "date": "2026-08-13",
      "epss": "0.00144",
      "percentile": "0.04138"
    },
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    "redhat_vex": {
      "aggregate_severity": "Important",
      "current_release_date": "2026-08-13T18:52:38+00:00",
      "cve": "CVE-2023-53988",
      "id": "CVE-2023-53988",
      "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: Linux kernel\u0027s NTFS3: Denial of Service via out-of-bounds read",
      "url": "https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2023/cve-2023-53988.json",
      "version": "3"
    },
    "suse_vex": {
      "aggregate_severity": "moderate",
      "current_release_date": "2026-07-23T02:13:24Z",
      "cve": "CVE-2023-53988",
      "id": "CVE-2023-53988",
      "initial_release_date": "2025-12-25T00:58:19Z",
      "product_status:known_not_affected": "453",
      "source": "SUSE CSAF VEX",
      "status": "interim",
      "title": "SUSE CVE CVE-2023-53988",
      "url": "https://ftp.suse.com/pub/projects/security/csaf-vex/cve-2023-53988.json",
      "version": "10"
    }
  }
}



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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.