CVE-2023-54316

EPSS 0.0%
  • Published: 2025-12-30T13:16:20.867

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

refscale: Fix uninitalized use of wait_queue_head_t

Running the refscale test occasionally crashes the kernel with the
following error:

[ 8569.952896] BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: ffffffffffffffe8
[ 8569.952900] #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode
[ 8569.952902] #PF: error_code(0x0000) – not-present page
[ 8569.952904] PGD c4b048067 P4D c4b049067 PUD c4b04b067 PMD 0
[ 8569.952910] Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT_RT SMP NOPTI
[ 8569.952916] Hardware name: Dell Inc. PowerEdge R750/0WMWCR, BIOS 1.2.4 05/28/2021
[ 8569.952917] RIP: 0010:prepare_to_wait_event+0x101/0x190
:
[ 8569.952940] Call Trace:
[ 8569.952941]
[ 8569.952944] ref_scale_reader+0x380/0x4a0 [refscale]
[ 8569.952959] kthread+0x10e/0x130
[ 8569.952966] ret_from_fork+0x1f/0x30
[ 8569.952973]

The likely cause is that init_waitqueue_head() is called after the call to
the torture_create_kthread() function that creates the ref_scale_reader
kthread. Although this init_waitqueue_head() call will very likely
complete before this kthread is created and starts running, it is
possible that the calling kthread will be delayed between the calls to
torture_create_kthread() and init_waitqueue_head(). In this case, the
new kthread will use the waitqueue head before it is properly initialized,
which is not good for the kernel’s health and well-being.

The above crash happened here:

static inline void __add_wait_queue(…)
{
:
if (!(wq->flags & WQ_FLAG_PRIORITY)) <=== Crash here

The offset of flags from list_head entry in wait_queue_entry is
-0x18. If reader_tasks[i].wq.head.next is NULL as allocated reader_task
structure is zero initialized, the instruction will try to access address
0xffffffffffffffe8, which is exactly the fault address listed above.

This commit therefore invokes init_waitqueue_head() before creating
the kthread.

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-2023-54316

CVE-2023-54316 is a unknown severity vulnerability affecting the affected product.

Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: refscale: Fix uninitalized use of wait_queue_head_t Running the refscale test occasionally crashes the kernel with the following error: [ 8569.952896] BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: ffffffffffffffe8 [ 8569.952900] #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode [ 8569.952902] #PF: error_code(0x0000) – not-present page […]

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.