CVE-2023-53348

System hang via scrub-cancellation deadlock

Published Sep 17, 2025 · Updated Sep 17, 2025

Deadlock in the Btrfs filesystem in Linux allows local users to hang filesystem maintenance during relocation and scrub. During an aborted relocation transaction, cleanup_transaction() calls btrfs_scrub_cancel() while scrub is paused, leaving the commit and scrub tasks waiting on each other indefinitely. Reaching the condition requires administrative filesystem maintenance, simultaneous relocation and scrub, and a transaction-commit failure; no data disclosure or code execution is reported.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.15%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Deadlock in the Btrfs filesystem in Linux allows local users to hang filesystem maintenance during relocation and scrub. During an aborted relocation transaction, cleanup_transaction() calls btrfs_scrub_cancel() while scrub is paused, leaving the commit and scrub tasks waiting on each other indefinitely. Reaching the condition requires administrative filesystem maintenance, simultaneous relocation and scrub, and a transaction-commit failure; no data disclosure or code execution is reported.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-53348
Published
Sep 17, 2025
Updated
Sep 17, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

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=4.3
  2. Affected versionversion=55e3a601c81cdca4497bf855fa4d331f8e830744 <10a5831b193390b77705fc174a309476c23ba64a
  3. Affected versionversion=55e3a601c81cdca4497bf855fa4d331f8e830744 <2d82a40aa7d6fcae0250ec68b8566cdee7bfd44c
  4. Affected versionversion=55e3a601c81cdca4497bf855fa4d331f8e830744 <6134a4bb6b1c411a244edee041ac89266c78d45c

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=4.3; version=55e3a601c81cdca4497bf855fa4d331f8e830744 <10a5831b193390b77705fc174a309476c23ba64a; version=55e3a601c81cdca4497bf855fa4d331f8e830744 <2d82a40aa7d6fcae0250ec68b8566cdee7bfd44c; version=55e3a601c81cdca4497bf855fa4d331f8e830744 <6134a4bb6b1c411a244edee041ac89266c78d45c

Published CVSS scores

No CVSS assessment is available in this record.

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.

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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
Privilegesadmin
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1499.004Endpoint Denial of Service: Application or System Exploitation

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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