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CVE Record

CVE-2023-53328: fs/ntfs3: Enhance sanity check while generating attr_list

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/ntfs3: Enhance sanity check while generating attr_list ni_create_attr_list uses WARN_ON to catch error cases while generating attribute list, which only prints out stack trace and may not be enough. This repalces them with more proper error handling flow. [ 59.666332] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 000000000000000e [ 59.673268] #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode [ 59.678354] #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page [ 59.682831] PGD 8000000005ff1067 P4D 8000000005ff1067 PUD 7dee067 PMD 0 [ 59.688556] Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP KASAN PTI [ 59.692642] CPU: 0 PID: 198 Comm: poc Tainted: G B W 6.2.0-rc1+ #4 [ 59.698868] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.16.0-0-gd239552ce722-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 [ 59.708795] RIP: 0010:ni_create_attr_list+0x505/0x860 [ 59.713657] Code: 7e 10 e8 5e d0 d0 ff 45 0f b7 76 10 48 8d 7b 16 e8 00 d1 d0 ff 66 44 89 73 16 4d 8d 75 0e 4c 89 f7 e8 3f d0 d0 ff 4c 8d8 [ 59.731559] RSP: 0018:ffff88800a56f1e0 EFLAGS: 00010282 [ 59.735691] RAX: 0000000000000001 RBX: ffff88800b7b5088 RCX: ffffffffb83079fe [ 59.741792] RDX: 0000000000000001 RSI: 0000000000000008 RDI: ffffffffbb7f9fc0 [ 59.748423] RBP: ffff88800a56f3a8 R08: ffff88800b7b50a0 R09: fffffbfff76ff3f9 [ 59.754654] R10: ffffffffbb7f9fc7 R11: fffffbfff76ff3f8 R12: ffff88800b756180 [ 59.761552] R13: 0000000000000000 R14: 000000000000000e R15: 0000000000000050 [ 59.768323] FS: 00007feaa8c96440(0000) GS:ffff88806d400000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 [ 59.776027] CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 [ 59.781395] CR2: 00007f3a2e0b1000 CR3: 000000000a5bc000 CR4: 00000000000006f0 [ 59.787607] Call Trace: [ 59.790271] <TASK> [ 59.792488] ? __pfx_ni_create_attr_list+0x10/0x10 [ 59.797235] ? kernel_text_address+0xd3/0xe0 [ 59.800856] ? unwind_get_return_address+0x3e/0x60 [ 59.805101] ? __kasan_check_write+0x18/0x20 [ 59.809296] ? preempt_count_sub+0x1c/0xd0 [ 59.813421] ni_ins_attr_ext+0x52c/0x5c0 [ 59.817034] ? __pfx_ni_ins_attr_ext+0x10/0x10 [ 59.821926] ? __vfs_setxattr+0x121/0x170 [ 59.825718] ? __vfs_setxattr_noperm+0x97/0x300 [ 59.829562] ? __vfs_setxattr_locked+0x145/0x170 [ 59.833987] ? vfs_setxattr+0x137/0x2a0 [ 59.836732] ? do_setxattr+0xce/0x150 [ 59.839807] ? setxattr+0x126/0x140 [ 59.842353] ? path_setxattr+0x164/0x180 [ 59.845275] ? __x64_sys_setxattr+0x71/0x90 [ 59.848838] ? do_syscall_64+0x3f/0x90 [ 59.851898] ? entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x72/0xdc [ 59.857046] ? stack_depot_save+0x17/0x20 [ 59.860299] ni_insert_attr+0x1ba/0x420 [ 59.863104] ? __pfx_ni_insert_attr+0x10/0x10 [ 59.867069] ? preempt_count_sub+0x1c/0xd0 [ 59.869897] ? _raw_spin_unlock_irqrestore+0x2b/0x50 [ 59.874088] ? __create_object+0x3ae/0x5d0 [ 59.877865] ni_insert_resident+0xc4/0x1c0 [ 59.881430] ? __pfx_ni_insert_resident+0x10/0x10 [ 59.886355] ? kasan_save_alloc_info+0x1f/0x30 [ 59.891117] ? __kasan_kmalloc+0x8b/0xa0 [ 59.894383] ntfs_set_ea+0x90d/0xbf0 [ 59.897703] ? __pfx_ntfs_set_ea+0x10/0x10 [ 59.901011] ? kernel_text_address+0xd3/0xe0 [ 59.905308] ? __kernel_text_address+0x16/0x50 [ 59.909811] ? unwind_get_return_address+0x3e/0x60 [ 59.914898] ? __pfx_stack_trace_consume_entry+0x10/0x10 [ 59.920250] ? arch_stack_walk+0xa2/0x100 [ 59.924560] ? filter_irq_stacks+0x27/0x80 [ 59.928722] ntfs_setxattr+0x405/0x440 [ 59.932512] ? __pfx_ntfs_setxattr+0x10/0x10 [ 59.936634] ? kvmalloc_node+0x2d/0x120 [ 59.940378] ? kasan_save_stack+0x41/0x60 [ 59.943870] ? kasan_save_stack+0x2a/0x60 [ 59.947719] ? kasan_set_track+0x29/0x40 [ 59.951417] ? kasan_save_alloc_info+0x1f/0x30 [ 59.955733] ? __kasan_kmalloc+0x8b/0xa0 [ 59.959598] ? __kmalloc_node+0x68/0x150 [ 59.963163] ? kvmalloc_node+0x2d/0x120 [ 59.966490] ? vmemdup_user+0x2b/0xa0 ---truncated---

MediumCVSS 5.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2023-53328 is a Linux kernel ntfs3 filesystem flaw that can crash the kernel when problematic NTFS extended attribute handling reaches attribute-list creation. The impact shown is availability loss, not data theft or privilege escalation. It matters most on systems where local users or workloads can interact with NTFS filesystems.

Executive priority

Treat this as a moderate availability risk. Patch through normal kernel maintenance, with faster action for shared Linux systems, desktop fleets, virtualization hosts, or environments processing NTFS media from users or third parties.

Technical view

The bug is a NULL pointer dereference in fs/ntfs3, specifically ni_create_attr_list during attribute-list generation. The trace shows the path through ntfs_setxattr and ntfs_set_ea. The upstream fix replaces WARN_ON-only checks with proper error handling. CVSS is 5.5, AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

Likely exposure

Exposure is likely limited to Linux systems using affected kernel versions with ntfs3 available and reachable by local low-privileged users. Public-facing network exposure is not indicated by the provided sources.

Exploitation context

The CVSS vector requires local access and low privileges. The bundle does not report CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. The included trace references a proof-of-concept process, but no cited source establishes exploitation in the wild.

Researcher notes

Evidence supports a local denial-of-service class issue from a NULL pointer dereference in ntfs3 extended attribute handling. The source bundle does not provide reliable affected package ranges by distribution, exploit maturity, or operational mitigations beyond upstream fixed commits.

Mitigation direction

  • Apply Linux distribution kernel updates containing the referenced upstream stable fixes.
  • Prioritize systems where ntfs3 is enabled, mounted, or available to local users.
  • If updates are pending, follow vendor guidance for limiting ntfs3 exposure.
  • Track distribution advisories for exact fixed package versions.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux hosts and kernel versions against vendor advisories for CVE-2023-53328.
  • Check whether ntfs3 support is enabled, loaded, or used on affected systems.
  • Confirm updated kernels include one of the referenced stable commits or downstream equivalent.
  • Review crash logs for ntfs3, ntfs_setxattr, ntfs_set_ea, or ni_create_attr_list traces.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
6

Public sources used

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-2023-53328 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
5Source 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-2023-53328Attack 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

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux4534a70b7056fd4b9a1c6db5a4ce3c98546b291e, 4534a70b7056fd4b9a1c6db5a4ce3c98546b291e, 4534a70b7056fd4b9a1c6db5a4ce3c98546b291e, 4534a70b7056fd4b9a1c6db5a4ce3c98546b291eunaffected
LinuxLinux5.15, 0, 5.15.128, 6.1.47, 6.4.12, 6.5affected
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-476

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.

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