CVE-2023-54200
- Published: 2025-12-30T13:16:08.100
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
netfilter: nf_tables: always release netdev hooks from notifier
This reverts “netfilter: nf_tables: skip netdev events generated on netns removal”.
The problem is that when a veth device is released, the veth release
callback will also queue the peer netns device for removal.
Its possible that the peer netns is also slated for removal. In this
case, the device memory is already released before the pre_exit hook of
the peer netns runs:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in nf_hook_entry_head+0x1b8/0x1d0
Read of size 8 at addr ffff88812c0124f0 by task kworker/u8:1/45
Workqueue: netns cleanup_net
Call Trace:
nf_hook_entry_head+0x1b8/0x1d0
__nf_unregister_net_hook+0x76/0x510
nft_netdev_unregister_hooks+0xa0/0x220
__nft_release_hook+0x184/0x490
nf_tables_pre_exit_net+0x12f/0x1b0
..
Order is:
1. First netns is released, veth_dellink() queues peer netns device
for removal
2. peer netns is queued for removal
3. peer netns device is released, unreg event is triggered
4. unreg event is ignored because netns is going down
5. pre_exit hook calls nft_netdev_unregister_hooks but device memory
might be free’d already.
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How to fix CVE-2023-54200
Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nf_tables: always release netdev hooks from notifier This reverts “netfilter: nf_tables: skip netdev events generated on netns removal”. The problem is that when a veth device is released, the veth release callback will also queue the peer netns device for removal. Its possible that […]
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
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CVE details first published to NVD database
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