CVE-2023-53618

Kernel crash via invalid Btrfs relocation-tree key

Published Oct 7, 2025 · Updated Oct 7, 2025

Denial of service in Linux kernel Btrfs allows local users to crash the kernel by supplying corrupted filesystem metadata. The relocation setup path accepts a relocation-tree root key for a non-subvolume tree, so prepare_to_merge reaches an invariant assertion instead of rejecting the invalid key. Reachability requires local low-privileged access and kernel processing of the corrupted Btrfs image; the resulting crash interrupts the host.

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

Denial of service in Linux kernel Btrfs allows local users to crash the kernel by supplying corrupted filesystem metadata. The relocation setup path accepts a relocation-tree root key for a non-subvolume tree, so prepare_to_merge reaches an invariant assertion instead of rejecting the invalid key. Reachability requires local low-privileged access and kernel processing of the corrupted Btrfs image; the resulting crash interrupts the host.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-53618
Published
Oct 7, 2025
Updated
Oct 7, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 7, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 7, 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 <314135b7bae9618a317874ae195272682cf2d5d4
  2. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <3ae93b316ca4b8b3c33798ef1d210355f2fb9318
  3. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <6ebcd021c92b8e4b904552e4d87283032100796d
  4. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <84256e00eeca73c529fc6196e478cc89b8098157

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <314135b7bae9618a317874ae195272682cf2d5d4; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <3ae93b316ca4b8b3c33798ef1d210355f2fb9318; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <6ebcd021c92b8e4b904552e4d87283032100796d; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <84256e00eeca73c529fc6196e478cc89b8098157

Published CVSS scores

5.5CanonicalCVSS: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.

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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 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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