CVE-2023-53718
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ring-buffer: Do not swap cpu_buffer during resize process
When ring_buffer_swap_cpu was called during resize process, the cpu buffer was swapped in the middle, resulting in incorrect state. Continuing to run in the wrong state will result in oops.
This issue can be easily reproduced using the following two scripts: /tmp # cat test1.sh //#! /bin/sh for i in seq 0 100000 do echo 2000 > /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/buffer_size_kb sleep 0.5 echo 5000 > /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/buffer_size_kb sleep 0.5 done /tmp # cat test2.sh //#! /bin/sh for i in seq 0 100000 do echo irqsoff > /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/current_tracer sleep 1 echo nop > /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/current_tracer sleep 1 done /tmp # ./test1.sh & /tmp # ./test2.sh &
A typical oops log is as follows, sometimes with other different oops logs.
[ 231.711293] WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 9 at kernel/trace/ring_buffer.c:2026 rb_update_pages+0x378/0x3f8 [ 231.713375] Modules linked in: [ 231.714735] CPU: 0 PID: 9 Comm: kworker/0:1 Tainted: G W 6.5.0-rc1-00276-g20edcec23f92 #15 [ 231.716750] Hardware name: linux,dummy-virt (DT) [ 231.718152] Workqueue: events update_pages_handler [ 231.719714] pstate: 60000005 (nZCv daif -PAN -UAO -TCO -DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--) [ 231.721171] pc : rb_update_pages+0x378/0x3f8 [ 231.722212] lr : rb_update_pages+0x25c/0x3f8 [ 231.723248] sp : ffff800082b9bd50 [ 231.724169] x29: ffff800082b9bd50 x28: ffff8000825f7000 x27: 0000000000000000 [ 231.726102] x26: 0000000000000001 x25: fffffffffffff010 x24: 0000000000000ff0 [ 231.728122] x23: ffff0000c3a0b600 x22: ffff0000c3a0b5c0 x21: fffffffffffffe0a [ 231.730203] x20: ffff0000c3a0b600 x19: ffff0000c0102400 x18: 0000000000000000 [ 231.732329] x17: 0000000000000000 x16: 0000000000000000 x15: 0000ffffe7aa8510 [ 231.734212] x14: 0000000000000000 x13: 0000000000000000 x12: 0000000000000002 [ 231.736291] x11: ffff8000826998a8 x10: ffff800082b9baf0 x9 : ffff800081137558 [ 231.738195] x8 : fffffc00030e82c8 x7 : 0000000000000000 x6 : 0000000000000001 [ 231.740192] x5 : ffff0000ffbafe00 x4 : 0000000000000000 x3 : 0000000000000000 [ 231.742118] x2 : 00000000000006aa x1 : 0000000000000001 x0 : ffff0000c0007208 [ 231.744196] Call trace: [ 231.744892] rb_update_pages+0x378/0x3f8 [ 231.745893] update_pages_handler+0x1c/0x38 [ 231.746893] process_one_work+0x1f0/0x468 [ 231.747852] worker_thread+0x54/0x410 [ 231.748737] kthread+0x124/0x138 [ 231.749549] ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 [ 231.750434] ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]--- [ 233.720486] Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 0000000000000000 [ 233.721696] Mem abort info: [ 233.721935] ESR = 0x0000000096000004 [ 233.722283] EC = 0x25: DABT (current EL), IL = 32 bits [ 233.722596] SET = 0, FnV = 0 [ 233.722805] EA = 0, S1PTW = 0 [ 233.723026] FSC = 0x04: level 0 translation fault [ 233.723458] Data abort info: [ 233.723734] ISV = 0, ISS = 0x00000004, ISS2 = 0x00000000 [ 233.724176] CM = 0, WnR = 0, TnD = 0, TagAccess = 0 [ 233.724589] GCS = 0, Overlay = 0, DirtyBit = 0, Xs = 0 [ 233.725075] user pgtable: 4k pages, 48-bit VAs, pgdp=0000000104943000 [ 233.725592] [0000000000000000] pgd=0000000000000000, p4d=0000000000000000 [ 233.726231] Internal error: Oops: 0000000096000004 [#1] PREEMPT SMP [ 233.726720] Modules linked in: [ 233.727007] CPU: 0 PID: 9 Comm: kworker/0:1 Tainted: G W 6.5.0-rc1-00276-g20edcec23f92 #15 [ 233.727777] Hardware name: linux,dummy-virt (DT) [ 233.728225] Workqueue: events update_pages_handler [ 233.728655] pstate: 200000c5 (nzCv daIF -PAN -UAO -TCO -DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--) [ 233.729054] pc : rb_update_pages+0x1a8/0x3f8 [ 233.729334] lr : rb_update_pages+0x154/0x3f8 [ 233.729592] sp : ffff800082b9bd50 [ 233.729792] x29: ffff800082b9bd50 x28: ffff8000825f7000 x27: 00000000 ---truncated---
AI Insight
LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.
A race condition in Linux kernel's ring buffer resize allows local users to trigger a kernel oops, leading to denial of service.
Vulnerability
CVE-2023-53718 is a race condition in the Linux kernel's ring buffer implementation. When ring_buffer_swap_cpu is called during a resize operation, the CPU buffer can be swapped mid-process, leaving the ring buffer in an inconsistent state. This incorrect state can cause a kernel oops when subsequent operations, such as page updates, are performed [1][2].
Exploitation
An unprivileged local user can exploit this by concurrently running two scripts: one that repeatedly changes the buffer size via /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/buffer_size_kb, and another that switches the current tracer via /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/current_tracer. The race between these operations triggers the vulnerability, as demonstrated in the CVE description.
Impact
Successful exploitation results in a kernel oops, leading to a system crash (denial of service). The oops log shows a warning in rb_update_pages at kernel/trace/ring_buffer.c:2026, indicating memory corruption or invalid state. No privilege escalation is achieved, but system availability is compromised.
Mitigation
The issue was patched in the Linux kernel mainline and backported to stable kernels. The fixes are available in commit [1] and commit [2]. Users should apply the latest kernel updates to mitigate this vulnerability.
AI Insight generated on May 19, 2026. Synthesized from this CVE's description and the cited reference URLs; citations are validated against the source bundle.
Affected products
1Patches
566a3b2a1213849b830d75f03128c06a34cfe02e52d7daaa38a96c0288d07Vulnerability mechanics
Generated on May 9, 2026. Inputs: CWE entries + fix-commit diffs from this CVE's patches. Citations validated against bundle.
References
5- git.kernel.org/stable/c/02e52d7daaa3f0f48819f198092cf4871065bbf7nvd
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/128c06a34cfe55212632533a706b050d54552741nvd
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/49b830d75f03d5dd41146d10e4d3e2a8211c4b94nvd
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/66a3b2a121386702663065d5c9e5a33c03d3f4a2nvd
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/8a96c0288d0737ad77882024974c075345c72011nvd
News mentions
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