CVE-2023-53339Public exploit

Kernel panic via Btrfs balance-control race

Published Sep 17, 2025 · Updated Sep 17, 2025

Race condition in Btrfs in Linux 6.1.42 through 6.1.46 and 6.4.7 through 6.4.11 allows local users to panic the kernel via ioctls. After balance_mutex is dropped and reacquired, btrfs_cancel_balance evaluates a BUG_ON assertion without accounting for a concurrent pause request during cancellation. Reachability requires a local user able to issue concurrent Btrfs balance pause and cancel ioctls, and successful exploitation crashes the host without other reported side effects.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.20%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Race condition in Btrfs in Linux 6.1.42 through 6.1.46 and 6.4.7 through 6.4.11 allows local users to panic the kernel via ioctls. After balance_mutex is dropped and reacquired, btrfs_cancel_balance evaluates a BUG_ON assertion without accounting for a concurrent pause request during cancellation. Reachability requires a local user able to issue concurrent Btrfs balance pause and cancel ioctls, and successful exploitation crashes the host without other reported side effects.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-53339
Published
Sep 17, 2025
Updated
Sep 17, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 17, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 17, 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=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <29eefa6d0d07e185f7bfe9576f91e6dba98189c2
  2. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <7c93b89cd46636b5e74c12fa21dd86167bc6ea8d
  3. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <a0a462a0f20926918d6009f0b4b25673e883fc98
  4. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <ae81329f7de3aa6f34ecdfa5412e72161a30e9ce
  5. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <b966e9e1e250dfdb41a7f41775faea4a37af923c
  6. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <bd7bef82ce0e929ef4cf63a34990545aaca28077
  7. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <ceb9ba8e30833a4823e2dc73f80ebcdf2498d01a

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <29eefa6d0d07e185f7bfe9576f91e6dba98189c2; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <7c93b89cd46636b5e74c12fa21dd86167bc6ea8d; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <a0a462a0f20926918d6009f0b4b25673e883fc98; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <ae81329f7de3aa6f34ecdfa5412e72161a30e9ce; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <b966e9e1e250dfdb41a7f41775faea4a37af923c; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <bd7bef82ce0e929ef4cf63a34990545aaca28077; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <ceb9ba8e30833a4823e2dc73f80ebcdf2498d01a

Published CVSS scores

5.5Canonical UbuntuCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

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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 exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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