CVE-2023-54278

EPSS 0.0%
  • Published: 2025-12-30T13:16:16.757

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

s390/vmem: split pages when debug pagealloc is enabled

Since commit bb1520d581a3 (“s390/mm: start kernel with DAT enabled”)
the kernel crashes early during boot when debug pagealloc is enabled:

mem auto-init: stack:off, heap alloc:off, heap free:off
addressing exception: 0005 ilc:2 [#1] SMP DEBUG_PAGEALLOC
Modules linked in:
CPU: 0 PID: 0 Comm: swapper Not tainted 6.5.0-rc3-09759-gc5666c912155 #630
[..]
Krnl Code: 00000000001325f6: ec5600248064 cgrj %r5,%r6,8,000000000013263e
00000000001325fc: eb880002000c srlg %r8,%r8,2
#0000000000132602: b2210051 ipte %r5,%r1,%r0,0
>0000000000132606: b90400d1 lgr %r13,%r1
000000000013260a: 41605008 la %r6,8(%r5)
000000000013260e: a7db1000 aghi %r13,4096
0000000000132612: b221006d ipte %r6,%r13,%r0,0
0000000000132616: e3d0d0000171 lay %r13,4096(%r13)

Call Trace:
__kernel_map_pages+0x14e/0x320
__free_pages_ok+0x23a/0x5a8)
free_low_memory_core_early+0x214/0x2c8
memblock_free_all+0x28/0x58
mem_init+0xb6/0x228
mm_core_init+0xb6/0x3b0
start_kernel+0x1d2/0x5a8
startup_continue+0x36/0x40
Kernel panic – not syncing: Fatal exception: panic_on_oops

This is caused by using large mappings on machines with EDAT1/EDAT2. Add
the code to split the mappings into 4k pages if debug pagealloc is enabled
by CONFIG_DEBUG_PAGEALLOC_ENABLE_DEFAULT or the debug_pagealloc kernel
command line option.

Related CVE by CWE

No related CWE found.

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Recently Exploited Similar Vulnerabilities

No recent KEV-listed items for this vendor/product.

How to fix CVE-2023-54278

CVE-2023-54278 is a unknown severity vulnerability affecting the affected product.

Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: s390/vmem: split pages when debug pagealloc is enabled Since commit bb1520d581a3 (“s390/mm: start kernel with DAT enabled”) the kernel crashes early during boot when debug pagealloc is enabled: mem auto-init: stack:off, heap alloc:off, heap free:off addressing exception: 0005 ilc:2 [#1] SMP DEBUG_PAGEALLOC Modules linked in: […]

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.