CVE-2023-54165
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
zsmalloc: move LRU update from zs_map_object() to zs_malloc()
Under memory pressure, we sometimes observe the following crash:
[ 5694.832838] ------------[ cut here ]------------ [ 5694.842093] list_del corruption, ffff888014b6a448->next is LIST_POISON1 (dead000000000100) [ 5694.858677] WARNING: CPU: 33 PID: 418824 at lib/list_debug.c:47 __list_del_entry_valid+0x42/0x80 [ 5694.961820] CPU: 33 PID: 418824 Comm: fuse_counters.s Kdump: loaded Tainted: G S 5.19.0-0_fbk3_rc3_hoangnhatpzsdynshrv41_10870_g85a9558a25de #1 [ 5694.990194] Hardware name: Wiwynn Twin Lakes MP/Twin Lakes Passive MP, BIOS YMM16 05/24/2021 [ 5695.007072] RIP: 0010:__list_del_entry_valid+0x42/0x80 [ 5695.017351] Code: 08 48 83 c2 22 48 39 d0 74 24 48 8b 10 48 39 f2 75 2c 48 8b 51 08 b0 01 48 39 f2 75 34 c3 48 c7 c7 55 d7 78 82 e8 4e 45 3b 00 <0f> 0b eb 31 48 c7 c7 27 a8 70 82 e8 3e 45 3b 00 0f 0b eb 21 48 c7 [ 5695.054919] RSP: 0018:ffffc90027aef4f0 EFLAGS: 00010246 [ 5695.065366] RAX: 41fe484987275300 RBX: ffff888008988180 RCX: 0000000000000000 [ 5695.079636] RDX: ffff88886006c280 RSI: ffff888860060480 RDI: ffff888860060480 [ 5695.093904] RBP: 0000000000000002 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: ffffc90027aef370 [ 5695.108175] R10: 0000000000000000 R11: ffffffff82fdf1c0 R12: 0000000010000002 [ 5695.122447] R13: ffff888014b6a448 R14: ffff888014b6a420 R15: 00000000138dc240 [ 5695.136717] FS: 00007f23a7d3f740(0000) GS:ffff888860040000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 [ 5695.152899] CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 [ 5695.164388] CR2: 0000560ceaab6ac0 CR3: 000000001c06c001 CR4: 00000000007706e0 [ 5695.178659] DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000 [ 5695.192927] DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400 [ 5695.207197] PKRU: 55555554 [ 5695.212602] Call Trace: [ 5695.217486] [ 5695.221674] zs_map_object+0x91/0x270 [ 5695.229000] zswap_frontswap_store+0x33d/0x870 [ 5695.237885] ? do_raw_spin_lock+0x5d/0xa0 [ 5695.245899] __frontswap_store+0x51/0xb0 [ 5695.253742] swap_writepage+0x3c/0x60 [ 5695.261063] shrink_page_list+0x738/0x1230 [ 5695.269255] shrink_lruvec+0x5ec/0xcd0 [ 5695.276749] ? shrink_slab+0x187/0x5f0 [ 5695.284240] ? mem_cgroup_iter+0x6e/0x120 [ 5695.292255] shrink_node+0x293/0x7b0 [ 5695.299402] do_try_to_free_pages+0xea/0x550 [ 5695.307940] try_to_free_pages+0x19a/0x490 [ 5695.316126] __folio_alloc+0x19ff/0x3e40 [ 5695.323971] ? __filemap_get_folio+0x8a/0x4e0 [ 5695.332681] ? walk_component+0x2a8/0xb50 [ 5695.340697] ? generic_permission+0xda/0x2a0 [ 5695.349231] ? __filemap_get_folio+0x8a/0x4e0 [ 5695.357940] ? walk_component+0x2a8/0xb50 [ 5695.365955] vma_alloc_folio+0x10e/0x570 [ 5695.373796] ? walk_component+0x52/0xb50 [ 5695.381634] wp_page_copy+0x38c/0xc10 [ 5695.388953] ? filename_lookup+0x378/0xbc0 [ 5695.397140] handle_mm_fault+0x87f/0x1800 [ 5695.405157] do_user_addr_fault+0x1bd/0x570 [ 5695.413520] exc_page_fault+0x5d/0x110 [ 5695.421017] asm_exc_page_fault+0x22/0x30
After some investigation, I have found the following issue: unlike other zswap backends, zsmalloc performs the LRU list update at the object mapping time, rather than when the slot for the object is allocated. This deviation was discussed and agreed upon during the review process of the zsmalloc writeback patch series:
https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/Y3flcAXNxxrvy3ZH@cmpxchg.org/
Unfortunately, this introduces a subtle bug that occurs when there is a concurrent store and reclaim, which interleave as follows:
zswap_frontswap_store() shrink_worker() zs_malloc() zs_zpool_shrink() spin_lock(&pool->lock) zs_reclaim_page() zspage = find_get_zspage() spin_unlock(&pool->lock) spin_lock(&pool->lock) zspage = list_first_entry(&pool->lru)
---truncated---
AI Insight
LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.
A race condition in zsmalloc's LRU list update during memory pressure can cause a list corruption crash.
Vulnerability
Description
The vulnerability is a race condition in the Linux kernel's zsmalloc memory allocator, specifically in the handling of the LRU (Least Recently Used) list. Under memory pressure, the function zs_map_object() attempts to update the LRU list by moving an object to the front, but this operation is not properly synchronized with concurrent zs_malloc() calls. This can lead to a list corruption of the doubly-linked list, as evidenced by the kernel crash showing list_del corruption with a poisoned next pointer [1].
Exploitation
Conditions
The bug is triggered when the system is under memory pressure, causing frequent allocation and mapping of zsmalloc objects. The crash occurs in zs_map_object() when it calls list_del() on an entry that has already been removed or corrupted by a concurrent operation. No special privileges are required beyond the ability to trigger memory pressure and zswap activity, which is common in normal system operation. The attack surface is local, requiring the attacker to have some ability to influence memory allocation patterns, but no authentication is needed beyond standard user access.
Impact
A successful exploitation results in a kernel crash (denial of service) due to list corruption. The crash log shows a WARNING followed by a potential system hang or panic, making the system unavailable. The corruption can also lead to memory corruption or use-after-free conditions, potentially allowing an attacker to escalate privileges or escalate privileges, though the primary observed impact is system instability and crash [1].
Mitigation
The fix moves the LRU update from zs_map_object() to zs_malloc(), ensuring that the list manipulation is done atomically during allocation rather than during mapping, which avoids the race condition. The patch has been applied to the Linux kernel stable tree as commit e95adf7486f2 [1]. Users should update their kernels to include this fix.
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
2e95adf7486f2d461aac924b9Vulnerability mechanics
Generated on May 9, 2026. Inputs: CWE entries + fix-commit diffs from this CVE's patches. Citations validated against bundle.
References
2News mentions
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