CVE-2023-53366: block: be a bit more careful in checking for NULL bdev while polling

Published Sep 17, 2025
·
Updated

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

block: be a bit more careful in checking for NULL bdev while polling

Wei reports a crash with an application using polled IO:

PGD 14265e067 P4D 14265e067 PUD 47ec50067 PMD 0 Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP CPU: 0 PID: 21915 Comm: iocore0 Kdump: loaded Tainted: G S 5.12.0-0fbk12clang7346g1bb6f2e7058f #1 Hardware name: Wiwynn Delta Lake MP T8/Delta Lake-Class2, BIOS Y3DLM08 04/10/2022 RIP: 0010:biopoll+0x25/0x200 Code: 0f 1f 44 00 00 0f 1f 44 00 00 55 41 57 41 56 41 55 41 54 53 48 83 ec 28 65 48 8b 04 25 28 00 00 00 48 89 44 24 20 48 8b 47 08 <48> 8b 80 70 02 00 00 4c 8b 70 50 8b 6f 34 31 db 83 fd ff 75 25 65 RSP: 0018:ffffc90005fafdf8 EFLAGS: 00010292 RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: 74b43cd65dd66600 RDX: 0000000000000003 RSI: ffffc90005fafe78 RDI: ffff8884b614e140 RBP: ffff88849964df78 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000008 R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000000 R12: ffff88849964df00 R13: ffffc90005fafe78 R14: ffff888137d3c378 R15: 0000000000000001 FS: 00007fd195000640(0000) GS:ffff88903f400000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 0000000000000270 CR3: 0000000466121001 CR4: 00000000007706f0 DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000 DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400 PKRU: 55555554 Call Trace: iocbbioiopoll+0x1d/0x30 iodoiopoll+0xac/0x250 sesysiouringenter+0x3c5/0x5a0 ? x64syswrite+0x89/0xd0 dosyscall64+0x2d/0x40 entrySYSCALL64afterhwframe+0x44/0xae RIP: 0033:0x94f225d Code: 24 cc 00 00 00 41 8b 84 24 d0 00 00 00 c1 e0 04 83 e0 10 41 09 c2 8b 33 8b 53 04 4c 8b 43 18 4c 63 4b 0c b8 aa 01 00 00 0f 05 <85> c0 0f 88 85 00 00 00 29 03 45 84 f6 0f 84 88 00 00 00 41 f6 c7 RSP: 002b:00007fd194ffcd88 EFLAGS: 00000202 ORIGRAX: 00000000000001aa RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 00007fd194ffcdc0 RCX: 00000000094f225d RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: 0000000000000007 RBP: 00007fd194ffcdb0 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000008 R10: 0000000000000001 R11: 0000000000000202 R12: 00007fd269d68030 R13: 0000000000000000 R14: 0000000000000001 R15: 0000000000000000

which is due to bio->bibdev being NULL. This can happen if we have two tasks doing polled IO, and task B ends up completing IO from task A if they are sharing a poll queue. If task B completes the IO and puts the bio into our cache, then it can allocate that bio again before task A is done polling for it. As that would necessitate a preempt between the two tasks, it's enough to just be a bit more careful in checking for whether or not bio->bibdev is NULL.

Affected Software

4 affected components
Linux Linux kernel
Microsoft cbl2 kernel 5.15.186.1-1
Linux Linux kernel>=5.15<6.1.16
Linux Linux kernel>=6.2<6.2.3

Event History

Sep 17, 2025
CVE Published
via MITRE·02:56 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·02:56 PM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·03:15 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Dec 13, 2025
Data Sourced
via Microsoft·01:01 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2023-53366?

CVE-2023-53366 is a vulnerability in the Linux kernel that can cause a crash due to improper NULL pointer checks.

2

How do I fix CVE-2023-53366?

To fix CVE-2023-53366, you should update your Linux kernel to the latest stable version that has patched this vulnerability.

3

What versions of the Linux kernel are affected by CVE-2023-53366?

CVE-2023-53366 affects various versions of the Linux kernel where the vulnerability has not been addressed.

4

Is CVE-2023-53366 exploitable?

CVE-2023-53366 can be exploited in scenarios involving polled I/O operations, leading to potential application crashes.

5

Who discovered CVE-2023-53366?

CVE-2023-53366 was reported by an individual named Wei, highlighting issues with NULL pointer checks in the Linux kernel.

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