CVE-2023-53169

  • Published: 2025-09-15T14:15:38.693

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

x86/resctrl: Clear staged_config[] before and after it is used

As a temporary storage, staged_config[] in rdt_domain should be cleared
before and after it is used. The stale value in staged_config[] could
cause an MSR access error.

Here is a reproducer on a system with 16 usable CLOSIDs for a 15-way L3
Cache (MBA should be disabled if the number of CLOSIDs for MB is less than
16.) :
mount -t resctrl resctrl -o cdp /sys/fs/resctrl
mkdir /sys/fs/resctrl/p{1..7}
umount /sys/fs/resctrl/
mount -t resctrl resctrl /sys/fs/resctrl
mkdir /sys/fs/resctrl/p{1..8}

An error occurs when creating resource group named p8:
unchecked MSR access error: WRMSR to 0xca0 (tried to write 0x00000000000007ff) at rIP: 0xffffffff82249142 (cat_wrmsr+0x32/0x60)
Call Trace:

__flush_smp_call_function_queue+0x11d/0x170
__sysvec_call_function+0x24/0xd0
sysvec_call_function+0x89/0xc0

asm_sysvec_call_function+0x16/0x20

When creating a new resource control group, hardware will be configured
by the following process:
rdtgroup_mkdir()
rdtgroup_mkdir_ctrl_mon()
rdtgroup_init_alloc()
resctrl_arch_update_domains()

resctrl_arch_update_domains() iterates and updates all resctrl_conf_type
whose have_new_ctrl is true. Since staged_config[] holds the same values as
when CDP was enabled, it will continue to update the CDP_CODE and CDP_DATA
configurations. When group p8 is created, get_config_index() called in
resctrl_arch_update_domains() will return 16 and 17 as the CLOSIDs for
CDP_CODE and CDP_DATA, which will be translated to an invalid register –
0xca0 in this scenario.

Fix it by clearing staged_config[] before and after it is used.

[reinette: re-order commit tags]

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How to fix CVE-2023-53169

CVE-2023-53169 is a unknown severity vulnerability affecting the affected product.

Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: x86/resctrl: Clear staged_config[] before and after it is used As a temporary storage, staged_config[] in rdt_domain should be cleared before and after it is used. The stale value in staged_config[] could cause an MSR access error. Here is a reproducer on a system with 16 […]

Exploit Difficulty: HARD
⏱️ Time to exploit: > 4 hours
🛠️ Required skills: Advanced security expertise
💰 Public exploits: Rare or not public

How to Fix:

1 Identify affected systems

- Check if you're running the affected product

2 Immediate actions

- Update to the latest patched version
- If patching is not immediately possible: restrict network exposure, apply least-privilege access

3 Verification

- Test the fix in a staging environment first
- Review logs for signs of exploitation
- Monitor for IOCs (Indicators of Compromise)

4 Long-term prevention

- Enable automatic security updates
- Set up vulnerability monitoring
- Review and harden security configurations

Exploit Difficulty Assessment

HARD
⏱️ Time to Exploit: > 4 hours
🛠️ Skills Required: Advanced security expertise
💰 Public Exploits: Rare or not public

Vulnerability Timeline

Sep 15, 2025
Vulnerability Published

CVE details first published to NVD database

Nov 12, 2025
Imported to Database

Added to this CVE tracking system

Detection Rules & IOCs

No specific detection rules generated for this vulnerability type.

No vendor/product data available.