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
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:
- Check if you're running the affected product
- Update to the latest patched version
- If patching is not immediately possible: restrict network exposure, apply least-privilege access
- Test the fix in a staging environment first
- Review logs for signs of exploitation
- Monitor for IOCs (Indicators of Compromise)
- Enable automatic security updates
- Set up vulnerability monitoring
- Review and harden security configurations
Exploit Difficulty Assessment
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