high CVSS 7

CVE-2023-52578·Kernel vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: bridge: use DEV_STATS_INC() syzbot/KCSAN reported data-races in br_handle_frame_finish() [1] This function can run from multiple cpus without mutual exclusion. Adopt SMP safe DEV_STATS_INC() to update dev->stats fields. Handles updates to dev->stats.tx_dropped while we are at it. [1] BUG: KCSAN: data-race in br_handle_frame_finish / br_handle_frame_finish read-write to 0xffff8881374b2178 of 8 bytes by interrupt on cpu 1: br_handle_frame_finish+0xd4f/0xef0 net/bridge/br_input.c:189 br_nf_hook_thresh+0x1ed/0x220 br_nf_pre_routing_finish_ipv6+0x50f/0x540 NF_HOOK include/linux/netfilter.h:304 [inline] br_nf_pre_routing_ipv6+0x1e3/0x2a0 net/bridge/br_netfilter_ipv6.c:178 br_nf_pre_routing+0x526/0xba0 net/bridge/br_netfilter_hooks.c:508 nf_hook_entry_hookfn include/linux/netfilter.h:144 [inline] nf_hook_bridge_pre net/bridge/br_input.c:272 [inline] br_handle_frame+0x4c9/0x940 net/bridge/br_input.c:417 __netif_receive_skb_core+0xa8a/0x21e0 net/core/dev.c:5417 __netif_receive_skb_one_core net/core/dev.c:5521 [inline] __netif_receive_skb+0x57/0x1b0 net/core/dev.c:5637 process_backlog+0x21f/0x380 net/core/dev.c:5965 __napi_poll+0x60/0x3b0 net/core/dev.c:6527 napi_poll net/core/dev.c:6594 [inline] net_rx_action+0x32b/0x750 net/core/dev.c:6727 __do_softirq+0xc1/0x265 kernel/softirq.c:553 run_ksoftirqd+0x17/0x20 kernel/softirq.c:921 smpboot_thread_fn+0x30a/0x4a0 kernel/smpboot.c:164 kthread+0x1d7/0x210 kernel/kthread.c:388 ret_from_fork+0x48/0x60 arch/x86/kernel/process.c:147 ret_from_fork_asm+0x11/0x20 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:304 read-write to 0xffff8881374b2178 of 8 bytes by interrupt on cpu 0: br_handle_frame_finish+0xd4f/0xef0 net/bridge/br_input.c:189 br_nf_hook_thresh+0x1ed/0x220 br_nf_pre_routing_finish_ipv6+0x50f/0x540 NF_HOOK include/linux/netfilter.h:304 [inline] br_nf_pre_routing_ipv6+0x1e3/0x2a0 net/bridge/br_netfilter_ipv6.c:178 br_nf_pre_routing+0x526/0xba0 net/bridge/br_netfilter_hooks.c:508 nf_hook_entry_hookfn include/linux/netfilter.h:144 [inline] nf_hook_bridge_pre net/bridge/br_input.c:272 [inline] br_handle_frame+0x4c9/0x940 net/bridge/br_input.c:417 __netif_receive_skb_core+0xa8a/0x21e0 net/core/dev.c:5417 __netif_receive_skb_one_core net/core/dev.c:5521 [inline] __netif_receive_skb+0x57/0x1b0 net/core/dev.c:5637 process_backlog+0x21f/0x380 net/core/dev.c:5965 __napi_poll+0x60/0x3b0 net/core/dev.c:6527 napi_poll net/core/dev.c:6594 [inline] net_rx_action+0x32b/0x750 net/core/dev.c:6727 __do_softirq+0xc1/0x265 kernel/softirq.c:553 do_softirq+0x5e/0x90 kernel/softirq.c:454 __local_bh_enable_ip+0x64/0x70 kernel/softirq.c:381 __raw_spin_unlock_bh include/linux/spinlock_api_smp.h:167 [inline] _raw_spin_unlock_bh+0x36/0x40 kernel/locking/spinlock.c:210 spin_unlock_bh include/linux/spinlock.h:396 [inline] batadv_tt_local_purge+0x1a8/0x1f0 net/batman-adv/translation-table.c:1356 batadv_tt_purge+0x2b/0x630 net/batman-adv/translation-table.c:3560 process_one_work kernel/workqueue.c:2630 [inline] process_scheduled_works+0x5b8/0xa30 kernel/workqueue.c:2703 worker_thread+0x525/0x730 kernel/workqueue.c:2784 kthread+0x1d7/0x210 kernel/kthread.c:388 ret_from_fork+0x48/0x60 arch/x86/kernel/process.c:147 ret_from_fork_asm+0x11/0x20 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:304 value changed: 0x00000000000d7190 -> 0x00000000000d7191 Reported by Kernel Concurrency Sanitizer on: CPU: 0 PID: 14848 Comm: kworker/u4:11 Not tainted 6.6.0-rc1-syzkaller-00236-gad8a69f361b9 #0

Severity
high
Software
Kernel
Fixed in
6.5.6
Published
2024-03-02

Affected versions

From: 6.2

Until: 6.5.6

Fixed in: 6.5.6

How to fix this CVE

Update your Linux kernel to version 6.5.6 or later to resolve this race condition vulnerability in the network bridge subsystem. The vulnerability stems from unsynchronized access to device statistics counters in the br_handle_frame_finish() function when processing bridge frames across multiple CPUs. Apply the kernel update through your distribution's package manager and reboot to activate the patched kernel.

sudo dnf update kernel kernel-devel && sudo reboot

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Step 1: Check current kernel version with `uname -r` and compare against 6.5.6—if your version is between 6.2 and 6.5.5, you are vulnerable
  2. Step 2: Verify network bridge configuration is active using `ip link show type bridge` or `brctl show`—if bridges exist, the vulnerable code path is in use
  3. Step 3: Search kernel logs for KCSAN warnings with `dmesg | grep -i 'kcsan\|data-race'` or check `/var/log/kern.log` for concurrency-related warnings in br_handle_frame_finish
  4. Step 4: After patching, confirm kernel update with `uname -r` showing 6.5.6 or later, then restart network services with `sudo systemctl restart networking` and verify bridge functionality with `brctl show`

FAQ

What is CVE-2023-52578?

CVE-2023-52578 is a data-race condition in the Linux kernel's network bridge driver where multiple CPUs can simultaneously update device statistics counters without proper synchronization, potentially leading to inconsistent state and system instability.

Is CVE-2023-52578 being actively exploited?

No, CVE-2023-52578 is not actively exploited in the wild. It was discovered through kernel sanitizers during fuzzing, not through public exploits or CISA KEV tracking.

What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2023-52578?

Linux kernel versions 6.2 through 6.5.5 are affected. Version 6.5.6 and later contain the fix.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2023-52578?

Run `uname -r` to display your kernel version. If it falls between 6.2 and 6.5.5, and you have network bridges configured (check with `brctl show`), your system is vulnerable.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2023-52578?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If the Linux kernel is installed on a monitored server running vulnerable versions 6.2–6.5.5, CVE-2023-52578 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

Related Kernel CVEs

CVE-2024-42256CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cifs: Fix server re-repick on subrequest retry When a subrequest is marked for needing retry, netfs will call cifs_prepare_write() which will make cifs repick the server for the op before renegotiating credits; it then calls cifs_issue_write() which invokes smb2_async_writev() - which re-repicks the server. If a different server is then selected, this causes the increment of server->in_flight to happen against one record and the decrement to happen against another, leading to misaccounting. Fix this by just removing the repick code in smb2_async_writev(). As this is only called from netfslib-driven code, cifs_prepare_write() should always have been called first, and so server should never be NULL and the preparatory step is repeated in the event that we do a retry. The problem manifests as a warning looking something like: WARNING: CPU: 4 PID: 72896 at fs/smb/client/smb2ops.c:97 smb2_add_credits+0x3f0/0x9e0 [cifs] ... RIP: 0010:smb2_add_credits+0x3f0/0x9e0 [cifs] ... smb2_writev_callback+0x334/0x560 [cifs] cifs_demultiplex_thread+0x77a/0x11b0 [cifs] kthread+0x187/0x1d0 ret_from_fork+0x34/0x60 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 Which may be triggered by a number of different xfstests running against an Azure server in multichannel mode. generic/249 seems the most repeatable, but generic/215, generic/249 and generic/308 may also show it.
CVE-2024-38623CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/ntfs3: Use variable length array instead of fixed size Should fix smatch warning: ntfs_set_label() error: __builtin_memcpy() 'uni->name' too small (20 vs 256)
CVE-2024-36031CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: keys: Fix overwrite of key expiration on instantiation The expiry time of a key is unconditionally overwritten during instantiation, defaulting to turn it permanent. This causes a problem for DNS resolution as the expiration set by user-space is overwritten to TIME64_MAX, disabling further DNS updates. Fix this by restoring the condition that key_set_expiry is only called when the pre-parser sets a specific expiry.
CVE-2021-47548CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ethernet: hisilicon: hns: hns_dsaf_misc: fix a possible array overflow in hns_dsaf_ge_srst_by_port() The if statement: if (port >= DSAF_GE_NUM) return; limits the value of port less than DSAF_GE_NUM (i.e., 8). However, if the value of port is 6 or 7, an array overflow could occur: port_rst_off = dsaf_dev->mac_cb[port]->port_rst_off; because the length of dsaf_dev->mac_cb is DSAF_MAX_PORT_NUM (i.e., 6). To fix this possible array overflow, we first check port and if it is greater than or equal to DSAF_MAX_PORT_NUM, the function returns.
CVE-2022-48716CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ASoC: codecs: wcd938x: fix incorrect used of portid Mixer controls have the channel id in mixer->reg, which is not same as port id. port id should be derived from chan_info array. So fix this. Without this, its possible that we could corrupt struct wcd938x_sdw_priv by accessing port_map array out of range with channel id instead of port id.

References

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