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Vulnerability record · CVE-2023-53556 · published 4 October 2025

CVE-2023-53556: Linux kernel use after free vulnerability

Linux · Linux Kernel

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iavf: Fix use-after-free in free_netdev We do netif_napi_add() for all allocated q_vectors[], but potentially do netif_napi_del() for part of them, then kfree q_vectors and leave invalid pointers at dev->napi_list. Reproducer: [root@host ~]# cat repro.sh #!/bin/bash pf_dbsf="0000:41:00.0" vf0_dbsf="0000:41:02.0" g_pids=() function do_set_numvf() { echo 2 >/sys/bus/pci/devices/${pf_dbsf}/sriov_numvfs sleep $((RANDOM%3+1)) echo 0 >/sys/bus/pci/devices/${pf_dbsf}/sriov_numvfs sleep $((RANDOM%3+1)) } function do_set_channel() { local nic=$(ls -1 --indicator-style=none /sys/bus/pci/devices/${vf0_dbsf}/net/) [ -z "$nic" ] && { sleep $((RANDOM%3)) ; return 1; } ifconfig $nic 192.168.18.5 netmask 255.255.255.0 ifconfig $nic up ethtool -L $nic combined 1 ethtool -L $nic combined 4 sleep $((RANDOM%3)) } function on_exit() { local pid for pid in "${g_pids[@]}"; do kill -0 "$pid" &>/dev/null && kill "$pid" &>/dev/null done g_pids=() } trap "on_exit; exit" EXIT while :; do do_set_numvf ; done & g_pids+=($!) while :; do do_set_channel ; done & g_pids+=($!) wait Result: [ 4093.900222] ================================================================== [ 4093.900230] BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in free_netdev+0x308/0x390 [ 4093.900232] Read of size 8 at addr ffff88b4dc145640 by task repro.sh/6699 [ 4093.900233] [ 4093.900236] CPU: 10 PID: 6699 Comm: repro.sh Kdump: loaded Tainted: G O --------- -t - 4.18.0 #1 [ 4093.900238] Hardware name: Powerleader PR2008AL/H12DSi-N6, BIOS 2.0 04/09/2021 [ 4093.900239] Call Trace: [ 4093.900244] dump_stack+0x71/0xab [ 4093.900249] print_address_description+0x6b/0x290 [ 4093.900251] ? free_netdev+0x308/0x390 [ 4093.900252] kasan_report+0x14a/0x2b0 [ 4093.900254] free_netdev+0x308/0x390 [ 4093.900261] iavf_remove+0x825/0xd20 [iavf] [ 4093.900265] pci_device_remove+0xa8/0x1f0 [ 4093.900268] device_release_driver_internal+0x1c6/0x460 [ 4093.900271] pci_stop_bus_device+0x101/0x150 [ 4093.900273] pci_stop_and_remove_bus_device+0xe/0x20 [ 4093.900275] pci_iov_remove_virtfn+0x187/0x420 [ 4093.900277] ? pci_iov_add_virtfn+0xe10/0xe10 [ 4093.900278] ? pci_get_subsys+0x90/0x90 [ 4093.900280] sriov_disable+0xed/0x3e0 [ 4093.900282] ? bus_find_device+0x12d/0x1a0 [ 4093.900290] i40e_free_vfs+0x754/0x1210 [i40e] [ 4093.900298] ? i40e_reset_all_vfs+0x880/0x880 [i40e] [ 4093.900299] ? pci_get_device+0x7c/0x90 [ 4093.900300] ? pci_get_subsys+0x90/0x90 [ 4093.900306] ? pci_vfs_assigned.part.7+0x144/0x210 [ 4093.900309] ? __mutex_lock_slowpath+0x10/0x10 [ 4093.900315] i40e_pci_sriov_configure+0x1fa/0x2e0 [i40e] [ 4093.900318] sriov_numvfs_store+0x214/0x290 [ 4093.900320] ? sriov_totalvfs_show+0x30/0x30 [ 4093.900321] ? __mutex_lock_slowpath+0x10/0x10 [ 4093.900323] ? __check_object_size+0x15a/0x350 [ 4093.900326] kernfs_fop_write+0x280/0x3f0 [ 4093.900329] vfs_write+0x145/0x440 [ 4093.900330] ksys_write+0xab/0x160 [ 4093.900332] ? __ia32_sys_read+0xb0/0xb0 [ 4093.900334] ? fput_many+0x1a/0x120 [ 4093.900335] ? filp_close+0xf0/0x130 [ 4093.900338] do_syscall_64+0xa0/0x370 [ 4093.900339] ? page_fault+0x8/0x30 [ 4093.900341] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x65/0xca [ 4093.900357] RIP: 0033:0x7f16ad4d22c0 [ 4093.900359] Code: 73 01 c3 48 8b 0d d8 cb 2c 00 f7 d8 64 89 01 48 83 c8 ff c3 66 0f 1f 44 00 00 83 3d 89 24 2d 00 00 75 10 b8 01 00 00 00 0f 05 <48> 3d 01 f0 ff ff 73 31 c3 48 83 ec 08 e8 fe dd 01 00 48 89 04 24 [ 4093.900360] RSP: 002b:00007ffd6491b7f8 EFLAGS: 00000246 ORIG_RAX: 0000000000000001 [ 4093.900362] RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 0000000000000002 RCX: 00007f16ad4d22c0 [ 4093.900363] RDX: 0000000000000002 RSI: 0000000001a41408 RDI: 0000000000000001 [ 4093.900364] RBP: 0000000001a41408 R08: 00007f16ad7a1780 R09: 00007f16ae1f2700 [ 4093.9003 ---truncated---

7.8 CVSS 3.1 High EPSS 0.15% · top 96.5% CWE-416 · Use after free
7.8CVSS 3.1 base score
0.15%EPSS exploitation probability, 30 days
NoNot in CISA KEV
1Affected product versions listed by NVD
6References
4 Aug 2026Last modified by NVD

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iavf: Fix use-after-free in free_netdev We do netif_napi_add() for all allocated q_vectors[], but potentially do netif_napi_del() for part of them, then kfree q_vectors and leave invalid pointers at dev->napi_list. Reproducer: [root@host ~]# cat repro.sh #!/bin/bash pf_dbsf="0000:41:00.0" vf0_dbsf="0000:41:02.0" g_pids=() function do_set_numvf() { echo 2 >/sys/bus/pci/devices/${pf_dbsf}/sriov_numvfs sleep $((RANDOM%3+1)) echo 0 >/sys/bus/pci/devices/${pf_dbsf}/sriov_numvfs sleep $((RANDOM%3+1)) } function do_set_channel() { local nic=$(ls -1 --indicator-style=none /sys/bus/pci/devices/${vf0_dbsf}/net/) [ -z "$nic" ] && { sleep $((RANDOM%3)) ; return 1; } ifconfig $nic 192.168.18.5 netmask 255.255.255.0 ifconfig $nic up ethtool -L $nic combined 1 ethtool -L $nic combined 4 sleep $((RANDOM%3)) } function on_exit() { local pid for pid in "${g_pids[@]}"; do kill -0 "$pid" &>/dev/null && kill "$pid" &>/dev/null done g_pids=() } trap "on_exit; exit" EXIT while :; do do_set_numvf ; done & g_pids+=($!) while :; do do_set_channel ; done & g_pids+=($!) wait Result: [ 4093.900222] ================================================================== [ 4093.900230] BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in free_netdev+0x308/0x390 [ 4093.900232] Read of size 8 at addr ffff88b4dc145640 by task repro.sh/6699 [ 4093.900233] [ 4093.900236] CPU: 10 PID: 6699 Comm: repro.sh Kdump: loaded Tainted: G O --------- -t - 4.18.0 #1 [ 4093.900238] Hardware name: Powerleader PR2008AL/H12DSi-N6, BIOS 2.0 04/09/2021 [ 4093.900239] Call Trace: [ 4093.900244] dump_stack+0x71/0xab [ 4093.900249] print_address_description+0x6b/0x290 [ 4093.900251] ? free_netdev+0x308/0x390 [ 4093.900252] kasan_report+0x14a/0x2b0 [ 4093.900254] free_netdev+0x308/0x390 [ 4093.900261] iavf_remove+0x825/0xd20 [iavf] [ 4093.900265] pci_device_remove+0xa8/0x1f0 [ 4093.900268] device_release_driver_internal+0x1c6/0x460 [ 4093.900271] pci_stop_bus_device+0x101/0x150 [ 4093.900273] pci_stop_and_remove_bus_device+0xe/0x20 [ 4093.900275] pci_iov_remove_virtfn+0x187/0x420 [ 4093.900277] ? pci_iov_add_virtfn+0xe10/0xe10 [ 4093.900278] ? pci_get_subsys+0x90/0x90 [ 4093.900280] sriov_disable+0xed/0x3e0 [ 4093.900282] ? bus_find_device+0x12d/0x1a0 [ 4093.900290] i40e_free_vfs+0x754/0x1210 [i40e] [ 4093.900298] ? i40e_reset_all_vfs+0x880/0x880 [i40e] [ 4093.900299] ? pci_get_device+0x7c/0x90 [ 4093.900300] ? pci_get_subsys+0x90/0x90 [ 4093.900306] ? pci_vfs_assigned.part.7+0x144/0x210 [ 4093.900309] ? __mutex_lock_slowpath+0x10/0x10 [ 4093.900315] i40e_pci_sriov_configure+0x1fa/0x2e0 [i40e] [ 4093.900318] sriov_numvfs_store+0x214/0x290 [ 4093.900320] ? sriov_totalvfs_show+0x30/0x30 [ 4093.900321] ? __mutex_lock_slowpath+0x10/0x10 [ 4093.900323] ? __check_object_size+0x15a/0x350 [ 4093.900326] kernfs_fop_write+0x280/0x3f0 [ 4093.900329] vfs_write+0x145/0x440 [ 4093.900330] ksys_write+0xab/0x160 [ 4093.900332] ? __ia32_sys_read+0xb0/0xb0 [ 4093.900334] ? fput_many+0x1a/0x120 [ 4093.900335] ? filp_close+0xf0/0x130 [ 4093.900338] do_syscall_64+0xa0/0x370 [ 4093.900339] ? page_fault+0x8/0x30 [ 4093.900341] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x65/0xca [ 4093.900357] RIP: 0033:0x7f16ad4d22c0 [ 4093.900359] Code: 73 01 c3 48 8b 0d d8 cb 2c 00 f7 d8 64 89 01 48 83 c8 ff c3 66 0f 1f 44 00 00 83 3d 89 24 2d 00 00 75 10 b8 01 00 00 00 0f 05 <48> 3d 01 f0 ff ff 73 31 c3 48 83 ec 08 e8 fe dd 01 00 48 89 04 24 [ 4093.900360] RSP: 002b:00007ffd6491b7f8 EFLAGS: 00000246 ORIG_RAX: 0000000000000001 [ 4093.900362] RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 0000000000000002 RCX: 00007f16ad4d22c0 [ 4093.900363] RDX: 0000000000000002 RSI: 0000000001a41408 RDI: 0000000000000001 [ 4093.900364] RBP: 0000000001a41408 R08: 00007f16ad7a1780 R09: 00007f16ae1f2700 [ 4093.9003 ---truncated---

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected products

1 vulnerable configurations from NVD's CPE data, grouped by vendor and product.

References

LinkTags
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/17046107ca15d7571551539d94e76aba2bf71fd3 Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/345c44e18cc10cded85cb9134830e1684495c866 Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5f4fa1672d98fe99d2297b03add35346f1685d6b Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8d781a9c53034813c3194b7d94409c7d24ac73eb Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a4635f190f332304db4a49e827ece790b804b5db Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ca12b98e04b5d1902ac08fe826d3500cb4b6e891 Patch

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Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database (record CVE-2023-53556), CISA KEV, FIRST EPSS (scores of 2026-09-27). This page is refreshed as NVD updates the record.