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CVE Record

CVE-2023-53245: scsi: storvsc: Fix handling of virtual Fibre Channel timeouts

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: scsi: storvsc: Fix handling of virtual Fibre Channel timeouts Hyper-V provides the ability to connect Fibre Channel LUNs to the host system and present them in a guest VM as a SCSI device. I/O to the vFC device is handled by the storvsc driver. The storvsc driver includes a partial integration with the FC transport implemented in the generic portion of the Linux SCSI subsystem so that FC attributes can be displayed in /sys. However, the partial integration means that some aspects of vFC don't work properly. Unfortunately, a full and correct integration isn't practical because of limitations in what Hyper-V provides to the guest. In particular, in the context of Hyper-V storvsc, the FC transport timeout function fc_eh_timed_out() causes a kernel panic because it can't find the rport and dereferences a NULL pointer. The original patch that added the call from storvsc_eh_timed_out() to fc_eh_timed_out() is faulty in this regard. In many cases a timeout is due to a transient condition, so the situation can be improved by just continuing to wait like with other I/O requests issued by storvsc, and avoiding the guaranteed panic. For a permanent failure, continuing to wait may result in a hung thread instead of a panic, which again may be better. So fix the panic by removing the storvsc call to fc_eh_timed_out(). This allows storvsc to keep waiting for a response. The change has been tested by users who experienced a panic in fc_eh_timed_out() due to transient timeouts, and it solves their problem. In the future we may want to deprecate the vFC functionality in storvsc since it can't be fully fixed. But it has current users for whom it is working well enough, so it should probably stay for a while longer.

MediumCVSS 5.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This Linux kernel issue can crash a Hyper-V guest VM when virtual Fibre Channel storage I/O times out. The business risk is availability: affected systems may panic instead of continuing to wait. It is not described as data theft or privilege escalation.

Executive priority

Treat as a focused availability risk for Hyper-V storage-dependent Linux workloads. Patch exposed systems in normal vulnerability cycles, faster for critical services where a VM crash would cause customer or operational impact.

Technical view

The storvsc driver called fc_eh_timed_out() during Hyper-V virtual Fibre Channel timeout handling. Because the Fibre Channel remote port can be missing in this integration, the kernel dereferences a NULL pointer and panics. The fix removes that call so storvsc continues waiting for a response.

Likely exposure

Exposure appears limited to Linux guests on Hyper-V using virtual Fibre Channel LUNs through storvsc. General Linux systems without Hyper-V vFC storage are unlikely to be exposed based on the source description.

Exploitation context

The CVE is not marked KEV, and the provided sources do not show active exploitation. The CVSS vector is local with low privileges and high availability impact. Sources describe real user crashes during transient timeouts, not a demonstrated weaponized exploit.

Researcher notes

The evidence supports CWE-476 NULL pointer dereference in Linux storvsc timeout handling. The vulnerable path depends on Hyper-V vFC behavior and incomplete FC transport integration. The bundle does not provide exploit procedures, broader affected products, or non-kernel mitigations.

Mitigation direction

  • Apply a vendor kernel update containing the referenced stable kernel fixes.
  • Prioritize Hyper-V Linux guests using virtual Fibre Channel storage.
  • Check distribution advisories for exact fixed package versions.
  • Consider operational workarounds from the vendor if immediate patching is unavailable.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux guests running on Hyper-V with virtual Fibre Channel attached.
  • Confirm kernel versions against distribution advisories and referenced stable commits.
  • Review crash logs for fc_eh_timed_out or storvsc timeout panics.
  • Validate patched hosts no longer panic during storage timeout events.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
10

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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ATT&CK lookup starting points

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cwe · low confidence lookup

CWE-476: Exact CWE lookup

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2023-53245 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Medium
CVSS
5.5 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
1ADP providers
9Source links

SSVC decision data

CISA-ADPCISA Coordinator
Timestamp
Version
2.0.3
Exploitation: noneAutomatable: noTechnical Impact: partial

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
5.5CVSS 3.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H1.83.6CISA-ADP

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

5.5Medium
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2023-53245Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

ADP provider summaries

CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
cvssV3_1other:ssvc
Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux3930d7309807ba0bfa460dfa9ed68d5560347dd2, 3930d7309807ba0bfa460dfa9ed68d5560347dd2, 3930d7309807ba0bfa460dfa9ed68d5560347dd2, 3930d7309807ba0bfa460dfa9ed68d5560347dd2, 3930d7309807ba0bfa460dfa9ed68d5560347dd2, 3930d7309807ba0bfa460dfa9ed68d5560347dd2, 3930d7309807ba0bfa460dfa9ed68d5560347dd2, 3930d7309807ba0bfa460dfa9ed68d5560347dd2unaffected
LinuxLinux4.13, 0, 4.14.323, 4.19.292, 5.4.254, 5.10.191, 5.15.127, 6.1.46, 6.4.11, 6.5affected
Weakness

CWE details

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-476 · source CWE mapping

NULL Pointer Dereference

NULL Pointer Dereference represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.