CVE-2023-53987
- Published: 2025-12-24T11:15:51.597
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ping: Fix potentail NULL deref for /proc/net/icmp.
After commit dbca1596bbb0 (“ping: convert to RCU lookups, get rid
of rwlock”), we use RCU for ping sockets, but we should use spinlock
for /proc/net/icmp to avoid a potential NULL deref mentioned in
the previous patch.
Let’s go back to using spinlock there.
Note we can convert ping sockets to use hlist instead of hlist_nulls
because we do not use SLAB_TYPESAFE_BY_RCU for ping sockets.
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How to fix CVE-2023-53987
Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ping: Fix potentail NULL deref for /proc/net/icmp. After commit dbca1596bbb0 (“ping: convert to RCU lookups, get rid of rwlock”), we use RCU for ping sockets, but we should use spinlock for /proc/net/icmp to avoid a potential NULL deref mentioned in the previous patch. Let’s go […]
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
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