CVE-2023-53581

System crash via unlocked flow-state check

Published Oct 4, 2025 · Updated Oct 4, 2025

Race condition in the Linux kernel mlx5e traffic-control path allows local users to crash the system during concurrent flow removal. The mlx5e deletion path checks the NOT_READY flag before taking uplink_priv->unready_flows_lock, allowing a workqueue and caller to remove the same unready_flows entry twice. Reachability requires local access and an active mlx5e traffic-control flow; the demonstrated consequence is a kernel crash, with no reported data disclosure or modification.

CVSS severity4.7
Medium
EPSS probability0.11%
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 the Linux kernel mlx5e traffic-control path allows local users to crash the system during concurrent flow removal. The mlx5e deletion path checks the NOT_READY flag before taking uplink_priv->unready_flows_lock, allowing a workqueue and caller to remove the same unready_flows entry twice. Reachability requires local access and an active mlx5e traffic-control flow; the demonstrated consequence is a kernel crash, with no reported data disclosure or modification.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-53581
Published
Oct 4, 2025
Updated
Oct 4, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 4, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 4, 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=5.4
  2. Affected versionversion=ad86755b18d5edf1956f6d25c844f27289216877 <30c281a77fb1b2d362030ea243dd663201d62a21
  3. Affected versionversion=ad86755b18d5edf1956f6d25c844f27289216877 <65e64640e97c0f223e77f9ea69b5a46186b93470
  4. Affected versionversion=ad86755b18d5edf1956f6d25c844f27289216877 <82ac62d76a000871004f534ad294e763e966d3b0
  5. Affected versionversion=ad86755b18d5edf1956f6d25c844f27289216877 <e962fd5933ebc767ce2a1cf7b7c85035b5a5d04c
  6. Affected versionversion=ad86755b18d5edf1956f6d25c844f27289216877 <f7ceedd1d124217a67ed1a67bbd7a7b1288705e3

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=5.4; version=ad86755b18d5edf1956f6d25c844f27289216877 <30c281a77fb1b2d362030ea243dd663201d62a21; version=ad86755b18d5edf1956f6d25c844f27289216877 <65e64640e97c0f223e77f9ea69b5a46186b93470; version=ad86755b18d5edf1956f6d25c844f27289216877 <82ac62d76a000871004f534ad294e763e966d3b0; version=ad86755b18d5edf1956f6d25c844f27289216877 <e962fd5933ebc767ce2a1cf7b7c85035b5a5d04c; version=ad86755b18d5edf1956f6d25c844f27289216877 <f7ceedd1d124217a67ed1a67bbd7a7b1288705e3

Published CVSS scores

4.7Canonical UbuntuCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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.

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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

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

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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