5.3

CVE-2023-52699: sysv: don't call sb_bread() with pointers_lock held

Modified
AliasesUBUNTU-CVE-2023-52699DEBIAN-CVE-2023-52699
Published 19-05-2024Last modified 15-10-2026

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2023-52699 is a medium (CVSS 5.3) Improper Locking vulnerability in debian debian_linux. EPSS estimates a 0.97% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 62.1% of scored vulnerabilities.

Priority
Routine

Not severe (CVSS 5.3, network access); no exploitation reported by the 5 checked sources

Source freshness unavailable

How is this decided?
CVSS score
5.3/10
010
Medium · v3.1 (CVE.org)
EPSS score
0.97%
0%100%
Low · 0.00 pp in 30 days
KEVNot listedNot listed by any tracked catalog.
RansomwareNot flaggedNo ransomware use recorded.
Public exploits0No public exploits recorded

Advisory lineage

Upstream 0 · Downstream 27 · Related 25
DLA-3840-1DLA-3842-1SUSE-SU-2024:2008-1SUSE-SU-2024:2019-1SUSE-SU-2024:2190-1SUSE-SU-2024:2571-1

Timeline

  1. 19-05-2024
    PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
  2. 15-10-2026
    Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sysv: don't call sb_bread() with pointers_lock held syzbot is reporting sleep in atomic context in SysV filesystem [1], for sb_bread() is called with rw_spinlock held. A "write_lock(&pointers_lock) => read_lock(&pointers_lock) deadlock" bug and a "sb_bread() with write_lock(&pointers_lock)" bug were introduced by "Replace BKL for chain locking with sysvfs-private rwlock" in Linux 2.5.12. Then, "[PATCH] err1-40: sysvfs locking fix" in Linux 2.6.8 fixed the former bug by moving pointers_lock lock to the callers, but instead introduced a "sb_bread() with read_lock(&pointers_lock)" bug (which made this problem easier to hit). Al Viro suggested that why not to do like get_branch()/get_block()/ find_shared() in Minix filesystem does. And doing like that is almost a revert of "[PATCH] err1-40: sysvfs locking fix" except that get_branch() from with find_shared() is called without write_lock(&pointers_lock).

CVSS metrics

5 scores · 4 sources · 2 versions

EPSS trend

Probability

0.97%

Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days

Percentile

62%

Versus all other CVEs

30-day change

No change 0.00 pp

From 0.97% on 04-10-2026

04-10-202603-11-2026

Known exploited

Compare KEV catalogs
CISA KEV

Not in the CISA KEV catalog.

ENISA CNW

Not in the ENISA CNW catalog.

CIRCL

Not in the CIRCL catalog.

Public exploits

0 found

No public exploits indexed.

Weaknesses

CWE · root cause

Affected systems

Version check

Known conditions: network-reachable, no authentication, no user interaction (CVSS vector). Other conditions: not stated in public data.

Ubuntu123 products
  • linuxAll versions (No fix recorded) | < 5.4.0-189.209 | < 5.15.0-116.126 | < 6.8.0-38.38
  • linux-allwinner-5.19All versions (No fix recorded)
  • linux-awsAll versions (No fix recorded) | < 5.4.0-1128.138 | < 5.15.0-1065.71 | < 6.8.0-1011.12
  • linux-aws-5.0All versions (No fix recorded)
  • linux-aws-5.11All versions (No fix recorded)
Debian2 products
Linux2 products
  • linux≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < 13b33feb2ebddc2b1aa607f553566b18a4af1d76 | ≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < 1b4fe801b5bedec2b622ddb18e5c9bf26c63d79f | ≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < 674c1c4229e743070e09db63a23442950ff000d1 | ≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < fd203d2c671bdee9ab77090ff394d3b71b627927 | ≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < 53cb1e52c9db618c08335984d1ca80db220ccf09 | ≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < 89e8524135a3902e7563a5a59b7b5ec1bf4904ac | ≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < a69224223746ab96d43e5db9d22d136827b7e2d3 | ≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < f123dc86388cb669c3d6322702dc441abc35c31e | 2.6.12
  • linux_kernel< 4.19.312 | ≥ 4.20, < 5.4.274 | ≥ 5.5, < 5.10.215 | ≥ 5.11, < 5.15.155 | ≥ 5.16, < 6.1.86 | ≥ 6.2, < 6.6.27 | ≥ 6.7, < 6.8.6

3 vendors · 127 products

References

32 links
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