5.5

CVE-2023-53224: ext4: Fix function prototype mismatch for ext4_feat_ktype

Modified
AliasesUBUNTU-CVE-2023-53224DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53224
Published 15-09-2025Last modified 11-05-2026

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2023-53224 is a medium (CVSS 5.5) vulnerability in linux. EPSS estimates a 0.16% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 5.1% of scored vulnerabilities.

Priority
Routine

Not severe (CVSS 5.5, local access); no exploitation reported by the 5 checked sources

Source freshness unavailable

How is this decided?
CVSS score
5.5/10
010
Medium · v3.1 (CVE.org)
EPSS score
0.16%
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 2
RHSA-2023:6583RHSA-2024:3138

Timeline

  1. 15-09-2025
    PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
  2. 11-05-2026
    Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: Fix function prototype mismatch for ext4_feat_ktype With clang's kernel control flow integrity (kCFI, CONFIG_CFI_CLANG), indirect call targets are validated against the expected function pointer prototype to make sure the call target is valid to help mitigate ROP attacks. If they are not identical, there is a failure at run time, which manifests as either a kernel panic or thread getting killed. ext4_feat_ktype was setting the "release" handler to "kfree", which doesn't have a matching function prototype. Add a simple wrapper with the correct prototype. This was found as a result of Clang's new -Wcast-function-type-strict flag, which is more sensitive than the simpler -Wcast-function-type, which only checks for type width mismatches. Note that this code is only reached when ext4 is a loadable module and it is being unloaded: CFI failure at kobject_put+0xbb/0x1b0 (target: kfree+0x0/0x180; expected type: 0x7c4aa698) ... RIP: 0010:kobject_put+0xbb/0x1b0 ... Call Trace: <TASK> ext4_exit_sysfs+0x14/0x60 [ext4] cleanup_module+0x67/0xedb [ext4]

CVSS metrics

4 scores · 4 sources · 1 version

EPSS trend

Probability

0.16%

Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days

Percentile

5%

Versus all other CVEs

30-day change

No change 0.00 pp

From 0.16% 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: local access, low-privilege account, no user interaction (CVSS vector). Other conditions: not stated in public data.

Ubuntu116 products
  • linux< 5.4.0-149.166 | < 5.15.0-72.79
  • linux-allwinner-5.19All versions (No fix recorded)
  • linux-aws< 5.4.0-1102.110 | < 5.15.0-1036.40
  • linux-aws-5.0All versions (No fix recorded)
  • linux-aws-5.11All versions (No fix recorded)
Linux2 products
  • linux≥ b99fee58a20ab8e0557cce87b6f187e325993142, < 2b69cdd9f9a7f596e3dd31f05f9852940d177924 | ≥ b99fee58a20ab8e0557cce87b6f187e325993142, < 99e3fd21f8fc975c95e8cf76fbf6a3d2656f8f71 | ≥ b99fee58a20ab8e0557cce87b6f187e325993142, < 1ba10d3640e9783dad811fe4e24d55465c37c64d | ≥ b99fee58a20ab8e0557cce87b6f187e325993142, < c98077f7598a562f51051eec043be0cb3e1b1b5e | ≥ b99fee58a20ab8e0557cce87b6f187e325993142, < 0a1394e07c5d6bf1bfc25db8589ff1b1bfb6f46a | ≥ b99fee58a20ab8e0557cce87b6f187e325993142, < 94d8de83286fb1827340eba35b61c308f6b46ead | ≥ b99fee58a20ab8e0557cce87b6f187e325993142, < 118901ad1f25d2334255b3d50512fa20591531cd | 4.16
  • linux_kernel≥ 4.16, < 4.19.274 | ≥ 4.20, < 5.4.233 | ≥ 5.5, < 5.10.170 | ≥ 5.11, < 5.15.96 | ≥ 5.16, < 6.1.14 | ≥ 6.2, < 6.2.1
Debian1 product
  • linux< 6.1.15-1

3 vendors · 119 products

References

11 links
Show all 11 references