CVE-2023-53394

Kernel crash via stale mlx5e completion entries

Published Sep 18, 2025 · Updated Sep 18, 2025

Denial of service in the Linux kernel mlx5e driver in 6.1 through 6.4.9 allows local users to crash the system via AF_XDP teardown. Closing an XSK socket leaves stale completion queue entries that the reactivated regular receive queue consumes, corrupting receive-queue state. The trigger requires a local AF_XDP bind-and-teardown sequence on an mlx5 interface while receive traffic is running; it stops reception and crashes on a later close or deactivation.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.13%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Denial of service in the Linux kernel mlx5e driver in 6.1 through 6.4.9 allows local users to crash the system via AF_XDP teardown. Closing an XSK socket leaves stale completion queue entries that the reactivated regular receive queue consumes, corrupting receive-queue state. The trigger requires a local AF_XDP bind-and-teardown sequence on an mlx5 interface while receive traffic is running; it stops reception and crashes on a later close or deactivation.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-53394
Published
Sep 18, 2025
Updated
Sep 18, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 18, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 18, 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=082a9edf12fef88400172e7d1b131d65a3ed492e <02a84eb2af6bea7871cd34264fb27f141f005fd9
  2. Affected versionversion=082a9edf12fef88400172e7d1b131d65a3ed492e <39646d9bcd1a65d2396328026626859a1dab59d7
  3. Affected versionversion=6.1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=082a9edf12fef88400172e7d1b131d65a3ed492e <02a84eb2af6bea7871cd34264fb27f141f005fd9; version=082a9edf12fef88400172e7d1b131d65a3ed492e <39646d9bcd1a65d2396328026626859a1dab59d7; version=6.1

Published CVSS scores

5.5CISA-ADPCVSS: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

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 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

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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