CVE-2023-53756

EPSS 0.0%
  • Published: 2025-12-08T02:15:51.243

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

KVM: VMX: Fix crash due to uninitialized current_vmcs

KVM enables ‘Enlightened VMCS’ and ‘Enlightened MSR Bitmap’ when running as
a nested hypervisor on top of Hyper-V. When MSR bitmap is updated,
evmcs_touch_msr_bitmap function uses current_vmcs per-cpu variable to mark
that the msr bitmap was changed.

vmx_vcpu_create() modifies the msr bitmap via vmx_disable_intercept_for_msr
-> vmx_msr_bitmap_l01_changed which in the end calls this function. The
function checks for current_vmcs if it is null but the check is
insufficient because current_vmcs is not initialized. Because of this, the
code might incorrectly write to the structure pointed by current_vmcs value
left by another task. Preemption is not disabled, the current task can be
preempted and moved to another CPU while current_vmcs is accessed multiple
times from evmcs_touch_msr_bitmap() which leads to crash.

The manipulation of MSR bitmaps by callers happens only for vmcs01 so the
solution is to use vmx->vmcs01.vmcs instead of current_vmcs.

BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000338
PGD 4e1775067 P4D 0
Oops: 0002 [#1] PREEMPT SMP NOPTI
…
RIP: 0010:vmx_msr_bitmap_l01_changed+0x39/0x50 [kvm_intel]
…
Call Trace:
vmx_disable_intercept_for_msr+0x36/0x260 [kvm_intel]
vmx_vcpu_create+0xe6/0x540 [kvm_intel]
kvm_arch_vcpu_create+0x1d1/0x2e0 [kvm]
kvm_vm_ioctl_create_vcpu+0x178/0x430 [kvm]
kvm_vm_ioctl+0x53f/0x790 [kvm]
__x64_sys_ioctl+0x8a/0xc0
do_syscall_64+0x5c/0x90
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd

Related CVE by CWE

No related CWE found.

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How to fix CVE-2023-53756

CVE-2023-53756 is a unknown severity vulnerability affecting the affected product.

Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: VMX: Fix crash due to uninitialized current_vmcs KVM enables ‘Enlightened VMCS’ and ‘Enlightened MSR Bitmap’ when running as a nested hypervisor on top of Hyper-V. When MSR bitmap is updated, evmcs_touch_msr_bitmap function uses current_vmcs per-cpu variable to mark that the msr bitmap was changed. […]

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

Dec 08, 2025
Vulnerability Published

CVE details first published to NVD database

Dec 08, 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.