CVE-2023-53338
- Published: 2025-09-17T15:15:36.913
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
lwt: Fix return values of BPF xmit ops
BPF encap ops can return different types of positive values, such like
NET_RX_DROP, NET_XMIT_CN, NETDEV_TX_BUSY, and so on, from function
skb_do_redirect and bpf_lwt_xmit_reroute. At the xmit hook, such return
values would be treated implicitly as LWTUNNEL_XMIT_CONTINUE in
ip(6)_finish_output2. When this happens, skbs that have been freed would
continue to the neighbor subsystem, causing use-after-free bug and
kernel crashes.
To fix the incorrect behavior, skb_do_redirect return values can be
simply discarded, the same as tc-egress behavior. On the other hand,
bpf_lwt_xmit_reroute returns useful errors to local senders, e.g. PMTU
information. Thus convert its return values to avoid the conflict with
LWTUNNEL_XMIT_CONTINUE.
Related CVE by CWE
No related CWE found.
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How to fix CVE-2023-53338
Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: lwt: Fix return values of BPF xmit ops BPF encap ops can return different types of positive values, such like NET_RX_DROP, NET_XMIT_CN, NETDEV_TX_BUSY, and so on, from function skb_do_redirect and bpf_lwt_xmit_reroute. At the xmit hook, such return values would be treated implicitly as LWTUNNEL_XMIT_CONTINUE in […]
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
Vulnerability Timeline
CVE details first published to NVD database
Added to this CVE tracking system
Detection Rules & IOCs
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No vendor/product data available.