CVE-2023-53698

xsk: fix refcount underflow in error path

Published Oct 22, 2025 CVSS 3.1 · 7.8 High EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
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 attached to the socket and try to decrease the refcount again,
leading to a refcount underflow.

I chose this fix as it involved adding just a single line. Another
option would have been to move xp_get_pool() and the assignment of
xs->pool to after the if-statement and using xs_umem->pool instead of
xs->pool in the whole if-statement resulting in somewhat simpler code,
but this would have led to much more churn in the code base perhaps
making it harder to backport.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

No advisories available
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'total'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.0, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'}

cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
Type Values Removed Values Added
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.0, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'}

threat_severity

Important

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description 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 attached to the socket and try to decrease the refcount again, leading to a refcount underflow. I chose this fix as it involved adding just a single line. Another option would have been to move xp_get_pool() and the assignment of xs->pool to after the if-statement and using xs_umem->pool instead of xs->pool in the whole if-statement resulting in somewhat simpler code, but this would have led to much more churn in the code base perhaps making it harder to backport.
Title xsk: fix refcount underflow in error path
References
Weaknesses

No weakness.

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
Linux
Published
Updated
Oct 15, 2026, 9:41 PM
Reserved
Oct 22, 2025, 1:21 PM
Status
Deferred
Published
Oct 22, 2025, 2:15 PM
Modified
Oct 28, 2026, 7:10 PM
Severity
Important
Public date
Oct 22, 2025, 12:00 AM