CVE-2023-54164

EPSS 0.0%
  • Published: 2025-12-30T13:16:04.167

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

Bluetooth: ISO: fix iso_conn related locking and validity issues

sk->sk_state indicates whether iso_pi(sk)->conn is valid. Operations
that check/update sk_state and access conn should hold lock_sock,
otherwise they can race.

The order of taking locks is hci_dev_lock > lock_sock > iso_conn_lock,
which is how it is in connect/disconnect_cfm -> iso_conn_del ->
iso_chan_del.

Fix locking in iso_connect_cis/bis and sendmsg/recvmsg to take lock_sock
around updating sk_state and conn.

iso_conn_del must not occur during iso_connect_cis/bis, as it frees the
iso_conn. Hold hdev->lock longer to prevent that.

This should not reintroduce the issue fixed in commit 241f51931c35
(“Bluetooth: ISO: Avoid circular locking dependency”), since the we
acquire locks in order. We retain the fix in iso_sock_connect to release
lock_sock before iso_connect_* acquires hdev->lock.

Similarly for commit 6a5ad251b7cd (“Bluetooth: ISO: Fix possible
circular locking dependency”). We retain the fix in iso_conn_ready to
not acquire iso_conn_lock before lock_sock.

iso_conn_add shall return iso_conn with valid hcon. Make it so also when
reusing an old CIS connection waiting for disconnect timeout (see
__iso_sock_close where conn->hcon is set to NULL).

Trace with iso_conn_del after iso_chan_add in iso_connect_cis:
===============================================================
iso_sock_create:771: sock 00000000be9b69b7
iso_sock_init:693: sk 000000004dff667e
iso_sock_bind:827: sk 000000004dff667e 70:1a:b8:98:ff:a2 type 1
iso_sock_setsockopt:1289: sk 000000004dff667e
iso_sock_setsockopt:1289: sk 000000004dff667e
iso_sock_setsockopt:1289: sk 000000004dff667e
iso_sock_connect:875: sk 000000004dff667e
iso_connect_cis:353: 70:1a:b8:98:ff:a2 -> 28:3d:c2:4a:7e:da
hci_get_route:1199: 70:1a:b8:98:ff:a2 -> 28:3d:c2:4a:7e:da
hci_conn_add:1005: hci0 dst 28:3d:c2:4a:7e:da
iso_conn_add:140: hcon 000000007b65d182 conn 00000000daf8625e
__iso_chan_add:214: conn 00000000daf8625e
iso_connect_cfm:1700: hcon 000000007b65d182 bdaddr 28:3d:c2:4a:7e:da status 12
iso_conn_del:187: hcon 000000007b65d182 conn 00000000daf8625e, err 16
iso_sock_clear_timer:117: sock 000000004dff667e state 3

iso_chan_del:153: sk 000000004dff667e, conn 00000000daf8625e, err 16
hci_conn_del:1151: hci0 hcon 000000007b65d182 handle 65535
hci_conn_unlink:1102: hci0: hcon 000000007b65d182
hci_chan_list_flush:2780: hcon 000000007b65d182
iso_sock_getsockopt:1376: sk 000000004dff667e
iso_sock_getname:1070: sock 00000000be9b69b7, sk 000000004dff667e
iso_sock_getname:1070: sock 00000000be9b69b7, sk 000000004dff667e
iso_sock_getsockopt:1376: sk 000000004dff667e
iso_sock_getname:1070: sock 00000000be9b69b7, sk 000000004dff667e
iso_sock_getname:1070: sock 00000000be9b69b7, sk 000000004dff667e
iso_sock_shutdown:1434: sock 00000000be9b69b7, sk 000000004dff667e, how 1
__iso_sock_close:632: sk 000000004dff667e state 5 socket 00000000be9b69b7

BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000
PGD 8000000006467067 P4D 8000000006467067 PUD 3f5f067 PMD 0
Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP PTI
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.16.2-1.fc38 04/01/2014
RIP: 0010:__iso_sock_close (net/bluetooth/iso.c:664) bluetooth
===============================================================

Trace with iso_conn_del before iso_chan_add in iso_connect_cis:
===============================================================
iso_connect_cis:356: 70:1a:b8:98:ff:a2 -> 28:3d:c2:4a:7e:da

iso_conn_add:140: hcon 0000000093bc551f conn 00000000768ae504
hci_dev_put:1487: hci0 orig refcnt 21
hci_event_packet:7607: hci0: e
—truncated—

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How to fix CVE-2023-54164

CVE-2023-54164 is a unknown severity vulnerability affecting the affected product.

Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: ISO: fix iso_conn related locking and validity issues sk->sk_state indicates whether iso_pi(sk)->conn is valid. Operations that check/update sk_state and access conn should hold lock_sock, otherwise they can race. The order of taking locks is hci_dev_lock > lock_sock > iso_conn_lock, which is how it is […]

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 30, 2025
Vulnerability Published

CVE details first published to NVD database

Dec 30, 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.