CVE-2023-53728
- Published: 2025-10-22T14:15:48.083
- Last modified: 1761167568
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
posix-timers: Ensure timer ID search-loop limit is valid
posix_timer_add() tries to allocate a posix timer ID by starting from the
cached ID which was stored by the last successful allocation.
This is done in a loop searching the ID space for a free slot one by
one. The loop has to terminate when the search wrapped around to the
starting point.
But that’s racy vs. establishing the starting point. That is read out
lockless, which leads to the following problem:
CPU0 CPU1
posix_timer_add()
start = sig->posix_timer_id;
lock(hash_lock);
… posix_timer_add()
if (++sig->posix_timer_id posix_timer_id;
sig->posix_timer_id = 0;
So CPU1 can observe a negative start value, i.e. -1, and the loop break
never happens because the condition can never be true:
if (sig->posix_timer_id == start)
break;
While this is unlikely to ever turn into an endless loop as the ID space is
huge (INT_MAX), the racy read of the start value caught the attention of
KCSAN and Dmitry unearthed that incorrectness.
Rewrite it so that all id operations are under the hash lock.
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How to fix CVE-2023-53728
Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: posix-timers: Ensure timer ID search-loop limit is valid posix_timer_add() tries to allocate a posix timer ID by starting from the cached ID which was stored by the last successful allocation. This is done in a loop searching the ID space for a free slot one […]
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
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