CVE-2023-54281

EPSS 0.0%
  • Published: 2025-12-30T13:16:17.070

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

btrfs: release path before inode lookup during the ino lookup ioctl

During the ino lookup ioctl we can end up calling btrfs_iget() to get an
inode reference while we are holding on a root’s btree. If btrfs_iget()
needs to lookup the inode from the root’s btree, because it’s not
currently loaded in memory, then it will need to lock another or the
same path in the same root btree. This may result in a deadlock and
trigger the following lockdep splat:

WARNING: possible circular locking dependency detected
6.5.0-rc7-syzkaller-00004-gf7757129e3de #0 Not tainted
——————————————————
syz-executor277/5012 is trying to acquire lock:
ffff88802df41710 (btrfs-tree-01){++++}-{3:3}, at: __btrfs_tree_read_lock+0x2f/0x220 fs/btrfs/locking.c:136

but task is already holding lock:
ffff88802df418e8 (btrfs-tree-00){++++}-{3:3}, at: __btrfs_tree_read_lock+0x2f/0x220 fs/btrfs/locking.c:136

which lock already depends on the new lock.

the existing dependency chain (in reverse order) is:

-> #1 (btrfs-tree-00){++++}-{3:3}:
down_read_nested+0x49/0x2f0 kernel/locking/rwsem.c:1645
__btrfs_tree_read_lock+0x2f/0x220 fs/btrfs/locking.c:136
btrfs_search_slot+0x13a4/0x2f80 fs/btrfs/ctree.c:2302
btrfs_init_root_free_objectid+0x148/0x320 fs/btrfs/disk-io.c:4955
btrfs_init_fs_root fs/btrfs/disk-io.c:1128 [inline]
btrfs_get_root_ref+0x5ae/0xae0 fs/btrfs/disk-io.c:1338
btrfs_get_fs_root fs/btrfs/disk-io.c:1390 [inline]
open_ctree+0x29c8/0x3030 fs/btrfs/disk-io.c:3494
btrfs_fill_super+0x1c7/0x2f0 fs/btrfs/super.c:1154
btrfs_mount_root+0x7e0/0x910 fs/btrfs/super.c:1519
legacy_get_tree+0xef/0x190 fs/fs_context.c:611
vfs_get_tree+0x8c/0x270 fs/super.c:1519
fc_mount fs/namespace.c:1112 [inline]
vfs_kern_mount+0xbc/0x150 fs/namespace.c:1142
btrfs_mount+0x39f/0xb50 fs/btrfs/super.c:1579
legacy_get_tree+0xef/0x190 fs/fs_context.c:611
vfs_get_tree+0x8c/0x270 fs/super.c:1519
do_new_mount+0x28f/0xae0 fs/namespace.c:3335
do_mount fs/namespace.c:3675 [inline]
__do_sys_mount fs/namespace.c:3884 [inline]
__se_sys_mount+0x2d9/0x3c0 fs/namespace.c:3861
do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:50 [inline]
do_syscall_64+0x41/0xc0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:80
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd

-> #0 (btrfs-tree-01){++++}-{3:3}:
check_prev_add kernel/locking/lockdep.c:3142 [inline]
check_prevs_add kernel/locking/lockdep.c:3261 [inline]
validate_chain kernel/locking/lockdep.c:3876 [inline]
__lock_acquire+0x39ff/0x7f70 kernel/locking/lockdep.c:5144
lock_acquire+0x1e3/0x520 kernel/locking/lockdep.c:5761
down_read_nested+0x49/0x2f0 kernel/locking/rwsem.c:1645
__btrfs_tree_read_lock+0x2f/0x220 fs/btrfs/locking.c:136
btrfs_tree_read_lock fs/btrfs/locking.c:142 [inline]
btrfs_read_lock_root_node+0x292/0x3c0 fs/btrfs/locking.c:281
btrfs_search_slot_get_root fs/btrfs/ctree.c:1832 [inline]
btrfs_search_slot+0x4ff/0x2f80 fs/btrfs/ctree.c:2154
btrfs_lookup_inode+0xdc/0x480 fs/btrfs/inode-item.c:412
btrfs_read_locked_inode fs/btrfs/inode.c:3892 [inline]
btrfs_iget_path+0x2d9/0x1520 fs/btrfs/inode.c:5716
btrfs_search_path_in_tree_user fs/btrfs/ioctl.c:1961 [inline]
btrfs_ioctl_ino_lookup_user+0x77a/0xf50 fs/btrfs/ioctl.c:2105
btrfs_ioctl+0xb0b/0xd40 fs/btrfs/ioctl.c:4683
vfs_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:51 [inline]
__do_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:870 [inline]
__se_sys_ioctl+0xf8/0x170 fs/ioctl.c:856
do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:50 [inline]
do_syscall_64+0x41/0xc0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:80
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd

other info
—truncated—

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How to fix CVE-2023-54281

CVE-2023-54281 is a unknown severity vulnerability affecting the affected product.

Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: btrfs: release path before inode lookup during the ino lookup ioctl During the ino lookup ioctl we can end up calling btrfs_iget() to get an inode reference while we are holding on a root’s btree. If btrfs_iget() needs to lookup the inode from the root’s […]

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.