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Review reviewHigh

CVE-2023-53698

Linux

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xsk: fix refcount underflow in error path Fix a refcount underflow problem reported by syzbot that can happen when a system is running out of memory. If xp_alloc_tx_descs() fails, and it can only fail due to not having enough memory, then the error path is triggered. In this error path, the refcount of the pool is decremented as it has incremented before. However, the reference to the pool in the socket was not nulled. This means that when the socket is closed later, the socket teardown logic will think that there is a pool...

CVSS
7.8
EPSS
0.15%
4.95% percentile
CISA KEV
Not listed
Published
2025.10.22
PRIORITY ASSESSMENT

Review review

The CVSS severity warrants an early asset and exposure review.

Known exploitationNot established by KEV
Exploit probability0.15%
Technical severityCVSS 7.8

Vulnerability overview

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xsk: fix refcount underflow in error path Fix a refcount underflow problem reported by syzbot that can happen when a system is running out of memory. If xp_alloc_tx_descs() fails, and it can only fail due to not having enough memory, then the error path is triggered. In this error path, the refcount of the pool is decremented as it has incremented before. However, the reference to the pool in the socket was not nulled. This means that when the socket is closed later, the socket teardown logic will think that there is a pool...

Affected product and versions

Product
Linux
Affected versions
>= f7019562f142bc041f9cde63af338d1886585923 < 789fcd94c9cac133dd4d96e193188661aca9f6c3, >= ba3beec2ec1d3b4fd8672ca6e781dac4b3267f6e < 15b453cf7348973217558235b9ece2ee5fea6777, >= ba3beec2ec1d3b4fd8672ca6e781dac4b3267f6e < 3e7722c31d4167eb7f3ffd35aba52cab69b79072, >= ba3beec2ec1d3b4fd8672ca6e781dac4b3267f6e < 85c2c79a07302fe68a1ad5cc449458cc559e314d, >= 9f0c8a9d4ef1b9ebee0e4ac2495fe790727044aa, >= 5.15.47 < 5.15.127, >= 5.17.15 < 5.18, >= 5.18
Fixed versions
No verified fixed-version field is available yet

Recommended response sequence

Confirm exposure before applying a vendor-supported change.

Full remediation guide
  1. 1
    Identify

    Confirm that Linux and an affected version are present.

  2. 2
    Prioritize

    Combine exploitation signals with asset exposure and business criticality.

  3. 3
    Remediate

    Follow the vendor advisory or supported update path and preserve rollback options.

  4. 4
    Verify

    Recheck the version, service health, access paths, and relevant logs.

Technical data

CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CWE
Not available
CVE-2023-53698 — Linux | SECUFOCUS NOW