Kernel memory corruption via stale inline-data offset
Published May 2, 2025 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Memory corruption in Linux before 6.3 allows local users to read or write kernel memory via file operations on a mounted ext4 volume. After ext4_xattr_shift_entries moves extended-attribute entries, the code leaves i_inline_off stale, so inline-data helpers read an incorrect entry and convert a negative free-space calculation into a huge unsigned allocation. The path requires write access to an ext4 inline-data directory whose inode needs extra-isize expansion; out-of-bounds accesses can disclose or corrupt kernel memory, and the demonstrated allocation path can crash the kernel.
Summary
What happened
Memory corruption in Linux before 6.3 allows local users to read or write kernel memory via file operations on a mounted ext4 volume. After ext4_xattr_shift_entries moves extended-attribute entries, the code leaves i_inline_off stale, so inline-data helpers read an incorrect entry and convert a negative free-space calculation into a huge unsigned allocation. The path requires write access to an ext4 inline-data directory whose inode needs extra-isize expansion; out-of-bounds accesses can disclose or corrupt kernel memory, and the demonstrated allocation path can crash the kernel.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-53100
- Published
- May 2, 2025
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 2, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 5, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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- Affected versionversion=3.8
- Affected versionversion=67cf5b09a46f72e048501b84996f2f77bc42e947 <2b96b4a5d9443ca4cad58b0040be455803c05a42
- Affected versionversion=67cf5b09a46f72e048501b84996f2f77bc42e947 <35161cec76772f74526f5886ad4082ec48511d5c
- Affected versionversion=67cf5b09a46f72e048501b84996f2f77bc42e947 <39c5df2ca544368b44b59d0f6d80131e90763371
- Affected versionversion=67cf5b09a46f72e048501b84996f2f77bc42e947 <74d775083e9f3d9dadf9e3b5f3e0028d1ad0bd5c
- Affected versionversion=67cf5b09a46f72e048501b84996f2f77bc42e947 <92eee6a82a9a6f9f83559e17a2b6b935e1a5cd25
- Affected versionversion=67cf5b09a46f72e048501b84996f2f77bc42e947 <a9bd94f67b27739bbe8583c52256502bd4cc7e83
- Affected versionversion=67cf5b09a46f72e048501b84996f2f77bc42e947 <c5aa102b433b1890e1ccaa40c06826c77dda1665
- Affected versionversion=67cf5b09a46f72e048501b84996f2f77bc42e947 <ca500cf2eceb5a8e93bf71ab97b5f7a18ecabce2
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
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