CVE-2023-54119

Inotify listener confusion via invalid watch descriptor

Published Dec 24, 2025 · Updated Dec 24, 2025

Race condition in the Linux kernel allows local users to confuse inotify listeners by causing an invalid watch descriptor event. During concurrent mark teardown and inode-event handling, inotify_handle_inode_event() reads i_mark->wd after it has been reset to -1 and reports that value to userspace. Exploitation requires local access and winning the teardown race; the documented consequence is incorrect listener state rather than kernel code execution.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.21%
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 allows local users to confuse inotify listeners by causing an invalid watch descriptor event. During concurrent mark teardown and inode-event handling, inotify_handle_inode_event() reads i_mark->wd after it has been reset to -1 and reports that value to userspace. Exploitation requires local access and winning the teardown race; the documented consequence is incorrect listener state rather than kernel code execution.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-54119
Published
Dec 24, 2025
Updated
Dec 24, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
Unavailable
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Dec 24, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Dec 24, 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=2.6.31
  2. Affected versionversion=7e790dd5fc937bc8d2400c30a05e32a9e9eef276 <145f54ea336b06cf4f92eeee996f2ffca939ea43
  3. Affected versionversion=7e790dd5fc937bc8d2400c30a05e32a9e9eef276 <17ad86d8c12220de97e80d88b5b4c934a40e1812
  4. Affected versionversion=7e790dd5fc937bc8d2400c30a05e32a9e9eef276 <2d65c97777e5b4a845637800d5d7b648f5772106
  5. Affected versionversion=7e790dd5fc937bc8d2400c30a05e32a9e9eef276 <8fb33166aed888769ea63d6af49515893f8a1f14
  6. Affected versionversion=7e790dd5fc937bc8d2400c30a05e32a9e9eef276 <a48bacee05860c6089c3482bcdc80720b0ee5732
  7. Affected versionversion=7e790dd5fc937bc8d2400c30a05e32a9e9eef276 <c915d8f5918bea7c3962b09b8884ca128bfd9b0c
  8. Affected versionversion=7e790dd5fc937bc8d2400c30a05e32a9e9eef276 <fb3294998489d39835006240e9c6e6b2ac62022e

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=2.6.31; version=7e790dd5fc937bc8d2400c30a05e32a9e9eef276 <145f54ea336b06cf4f92eeee996f2ffca939ea43; version=7e790dd5fc937bc8d2400c30a05e32a9e9eef276 <17ad86d8c12220de97e80d88b5b4c934a40e1812; version=7e790dd5fc937bc8d2400c30a05e32a9e9eef276 <2d65c97777e5b4a845637800d5d7b648f5772106; version=7e790dd5fc937bc8d2400c30a05e32a9e9eef276 <8fb33166aed888769ea63d6af49515893f8a1f14; version=7e790dd5fc937bc8d2400c30a05e32a9e9eef276 <a48bacee05860c6089c3482bcdc80720b0ee5732; version=7e790dd5fc937bc8d2400c30a05e32a9e9eef276 <c915d8f5918bea7c3962b09b8884ca128bfd9b0c; version=7e790dd5fc937bc8d2400c30a05e32a9e9eef276 <fb3294998489d39835006240e9c6e6b2ac62022e

Published CVSS scores

5.5SUSECVSS: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

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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

No sourced classifications are available.

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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