Local privilege escalation via dm table use-after-free
Published Dec 9, 2025 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Use-after-free in the Linux kernel device mapper allows local users to execute code in kernel context through crafted REQ_NOWAIT I/O. The dm_submit_bio path performs a bio allocation that can sleep while an RCU-protected table remains in use, allowing the table to be freed and later dereferenced. An ordinary unprivileged account can reach the path with io_uring IOPOLL direct I/O over an LVM volume, leading to kernel compromise or a crash.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in the Linux kernel device mapper allows local users to execute code in kernel context through crafted REQ_NOWAIT I/O. The dm_submit_bio path performs a bio allocation that can sleep while an RCU-protected table remains in use, allowing the table to be freed and later dereferenced. An ordinary unprivileged account can reach the path with io_uring IOPOLL direct I/O over an LVM volume, leading to kernel compromise or a crash.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-53860
- Published
- Dec 9, 2025
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-663, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 9, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 5, 2026Record 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.
- Affected versionversion=5.19
- Affected versionversion=563a225c9fd207326c2a2af9d59b4097cb31ce70 <699775e9338adcd4eaedea000d32c60250c3114d
- Affected versionversion=563a225c9fd207326c2a2af9d59b4097cb31ce70 <a9ce385344f916cd1c36a33905e564f5581beae9
- Affected versionversion=563a225c9fd207326c2a2af9d59b4097cb31ce70 <d7b2abd87d1fcdb47811f90090a363e7ca15cb14
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Upstream preadv2 RWF_NOWAIT reproducerproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
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