CVE-2023-3111

System crash via stale Btrfs relocation pointer

Published Jun 5, 2023 · Updated Apr 23, 2025

Use-after-free in Linux Kernel Btrfs before 6.0-rc2 allows local users to crash the system through balance and defrag ioctls. On transaction-commit failure, prepare_to_relocate leaves fs_info->reloc_ctl pointing to a freed relocation-control structure that btrfs_init_reloc_root later dereferences. Exploitation requires local access, Btrfs balance before defrag, and the intervening commit failure; the bounded reported consequence is a system crash.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.44%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Use-after-free in Linux Kernel Btrfs before 6.0-rc2 allows local users to crash the system through balance and defrag ioctls. On transaction-commit failure, prepare_to_relocate leaves fs_info->reloc_ctl pointing to a freed relocation-control structure that btrfs_init_reloc_root later dereferences. Exploitation requires local access, Btrfs balance before defrag, and the intervening commit failure; the bounded reported consequence is a system crash.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-3111
Published
Jun 5, 2023
Updated
Apr 23, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
CWE-416, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jun 5, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Apr 23, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=Kernel version prior to Kernel 6.0-rc2

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=Kernel version prior to Kernel 6.0-rc2

Published CVSS scores

7.8CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
7.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-416Use After Free
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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