CVE-2023-53291

  • Published: 2025-09-16T08:15:38.313

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

rcu/rcuscale: Stop kfree_scale_thread thread(s) after unloading rcuscale

Running the ‘kfree_rcu_test’ test case [1] results in a splat [2].
The root cause is the kfree_scale_thread thread(s) continue running
after unloading the rcuscale module. This commit fixes that isue by
invoking kfree_scale_cleanup() from rcu_scale_cleanup() when removing
the rcuscale module.

[1] modprobe rcuscale kfree_rcu_test=1
// After some time
rmmod rcuscale
rmmod torture

[2] BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: ffffffffc0601a87
#PF: supervisor instruction fetch in kernel mode
#PF: error_code(0x0010) – not-present page
PGD 11de4f067 P4D 11de4f067 PUD 11de51067 PMD 112f4d067 PTE 0
Oops: 0010 [#1] PREEMPT SMP NOPTI
CPU: 1 PID: 1798 Comm: kfree_scale_thr Not tainted 6.3.0-rc1-rcu+ #1
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 0.0.0 02/06/2015
RIP: 0010:0xffffffffc0601a87
Code: Unable to access opcode bytes at 0xffffffffc0601a5d.
RSP: 0018:ffffb25bc2e57e18 EFLAGS: 00010297
RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffffffffc061f0b6 RCX: 0000000000000000
RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: ffffffff962fd0de RDI: ffffffff962fd0de
RBP: ffffb25bc2e57ea8 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000000
R10: 0000000000000001 R11: 0000000000000001 R12: 0000000000000000
R13: 0000000000000000 R14: 000000000000000a R15: 00000000001c1dbe
FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff921fa2200000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
CR2: ffffffffc0601a5d CR3: 000000011de4c006 CR4: 0000000000370ee0
DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000
DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400
Call Trace:

? kvfree_call_rcu+0xf0/0x3a0
? kthread+0xf3/0x120
? kthread_complete_and_exit+0x20/0x20
? ret_from_fork+0x1f/0x30

Modules linked in: rfkill sunrpc … [last unloaded: torture]
CR2: ffffffffc0601a87
—[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]—

Related CVE by CWE

No related CWE found.

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How to fix CVE-2023-53291

CVE-2023-53291 is a unknown severity vulnerability affecting the affected product.

Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: rcu/rcuscale: Stop kfree_scale_thread thread(s) after unloading rcuscale Running the ‘kfree_rcu_test’ test case [1] results in a splat [2]. The root cause is the kfree_scale_thread thread(s) continue running after unloading the rcuscale module. This commit fixes that isue by invoking kfree_scale_cleanup() from rcu_scale_cleanup() when removing the […]

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 16, 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.