CVE-2023-53584

  • Published: 2025-10-04T16:15:54.217

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

ubifs: ubifs_releasepage: Remove ubifs_assert(0) to valid this process

There are two states for ubifs writing pages:
1. Dirty, Private
2. Not Dirty, Not Private

The normal process cannot go to ubifs_releasepage() which means there
exists pages being private but not dirty. Reproducer[1] shows that it
could occur (which maybe related to [2]) with following process:

PA PB PC
lock(page)[PA]
ubifs_write_end
attach_page_private // set Private
__set_page_dirty_nobuffers // set Dirty
unlock(page)

write_cache_pages[PA]
lock(page)
clear_page_dirty_for_io(page) // clear Dirty
ubifs_writepage

do_truncation[PB]
truncate_setsize
i_size_write(inode, newsize) // newsize = 0

i_size = i_size_read(inode) // i_size = 0
end_index = i_size >> PAGE_SHIFT
if (page->index > end_index)
goto out // jump
out:
unlock(page) // Private, Not Dirty

generic_fadvise[PC]
lock(page)
invalidate_inode_page
try_to_release_page
ubifs_releasepage
ubifs_assert(c, 0)
// bad assertion!
unlock(page)
truncate_pagecache[PB]

Then we may get following assertion failed:
UBIFS error (ubi0:0 pid 1683): ubifs_assert_failed [ubifs]:
UBIFS assert failed: 0, in fs/ubifs/file.c:1513
UBIFS warning (ubi0:0 pid 1683): ubifs_ro_mode [ubifs]:
switched to read-only mode, error -22
CPU: 2 PID: 1683 Comm: aa Not tainted 5.16.0-rc5-00184-g0bca5994cacc-dirty #308
Call Trace:
dump_stack+0x13/0x1b
ubifs_ro_mode+0x54/0x60 [ubifs]
ubifs_assert_failed+0x4b/0x80 [ubifs]
ubifs_releasepage+0x67/0x1d0 [ubifs]
try_to_release_page+0x57/0xe0
invalidate_inode_page+0xfb/0x130
__invalidate_mapping_pages+0xb9/0x280
invalidate_mapping_pagevec+0x12/0x20
generic_fadvise+0x303/0x3c0
ksys_fadvise64_64+0x4c/0xb0

[1] https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=215373
[2] https://linux-mtd.infradead.narkive.com/NQoBeT1u/patch-rfc-ubifs-fix-assert-failed-in-ubifs-set-page-dirty

Related CVE by CWE

No related CWE found.

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How to fix CVE-2023-53584

CVE-2023-53584 is a unknown severity vulnerability affecting the affected product.

Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ubifs: ubifs_releasepage: Remove ubifs_assert(0) to valid this process There are two states for ubifs writing pages: 1. Dirty, Private 2. Not Dirty, Not Private The normal process cannot go to ubifs_releasepage() which means there exists pages being private but not dirty. Reproducer[1] shows that it […]

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

Vendor Advisory: https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=215373

Exploit Difficulty Assessment

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

Vulnerability Timeline

Oct 04, 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.