CVE-2023-52909: nfsd: fix handling of cached open files in nfsd4_open codepath
Vulnerability summary
CVE-2023-52909 is a high (CVSS 7.5) NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability in linux. EPSS estimates a 0.64% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 50.8% of scored vulnerabilities.
Severe, CVSS 7.5 (CVE.org); no exploitation reported by the 5 checked sources; EPSS 1% (FIRST, 03-11-2026)
Source freshness unavailable
How is this decided?Advisory lineage
Upstream 0 · Downstream 3 · Related 3Timeline
- 21-08-2024PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
- 05-08-2026Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfsd: fix handling of cached open files in nfsd4_open codepath Commit fb70bf124b05 ("NFSD: Instantiate a struct file when creating a regular NFSv4 file") added the ability to cache an open fd over a compound. There are a couple of problems with the way this currently works: It's racy, as a newly-created nfsd_file can end up with its PENDING bit cleared while the nf is hashed, and the nf_file pointer is still zeroed out. Other tasks can find it in this state and they expect to see a valid nf_file, and can oops if nf_file is NULL. Also, there is no guarantee that we'll end up creating a new nfsd_file if one is already in the hash. If an extant entry is in the hash with a valid nf_file, nfs4_get_vfs_file will clobber its nf_file pointer with the value of op_file and the old nf_file will leak. Fix both issues by making a new nfsd_file_acquirei_opened variant that takes an optional file pointer. If one is present when this is called, we'll take a new reference to it instead of trying to open the file. If the nfsd_file already has a valid nf_file, we'll just ignore the optional file and pass the nfsd_file back as-is. Also rework the tracepoints a bit to allow for an "opened" variant and don't try to avoid counting acquisitions in the case where we already have a cached open file.
CVSS metrics
4 scores · 4 sources · 1 version- OSV · UbuntuEcosystem advisory · calculated7.5HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- OSV · DebianEcosystem advisory · calculated4.7MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HDiffers
- NVDNIST4.7MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HDiffers
EPSS trend
Probability
0.64%
Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days
Percentile
51%
Versus all other CVEs
30-day change
No change 0.00 pp
From 0.64% on 04-10-2026
Known exploited
Compare KEV catalogsNot in the CISA KEV catalog.
Not in the ENISA CNW catalog.
Not in the CIRCL catalog.
Public exploits
0 foundNo public exploits indexed.
Weaknesses
CWE · root causeAffected systems
Known conditions: network-reachable, no authentication, no user interaction (CVSS vector). Other conditions: not stated in public data.
Ubuntu74 products
- linux-allwinner-5.19All versions (No fix recorded)
- linux-aws-5.0All versions (No fix recorded)
- linux-aws-5.11All versions (No fix recorded)
- linux-aws-5.13All versions (No fix recorded)
- linux-aws-5.19All versions (No fix recorded)
Linux2 products
- linux≥ c20097329d2c196b818c4666c7820c1378d69d61, < 45c08a752982116f3287afcd1bd9c50f4fab0c28 | ≥ 106331a12b0fa5afa6995b1f9ebb03ddcaac6915, < 0b778361998d6c6356b8d2fc7ddf025fb3224654 | ≥ fb70bf124b051d4ded4ce57511dfec6d3ebf2b43, < 973acfdfe90c8a4e58ade97ff0653a498531ff2e | ≥ fb70bf124b051d4ded4ce57511dfec6d3ebf2b43, < 0b3a551fa58b4da941efeb209b3770868e2eddd7 | 5.19
- linux_kernel≥ 5.19, < 6.1.7 | 6.2:rc1 | 6.2:rc2 | 6.2:rc3
Debian1 product
- linux< 6.1.7-1
3 vendors · 77 products