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CVE Record

CVE-2023-53339: btrfs: fix BUG_ON condition in btrfs_cancel_balance

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: btrfs: fix BUG_ON condition in btrfs_cancel_balance Pausing and canceling balance can race to interrupt balance lead to BUG_ON panic in btrfs_cancel_balance. The BUG_ON condition in btrfs_cancel_balance does not take this race scenario into account. However, the race condition has no other side effects. We can fix that. Reproducing it with panic trace like this: kernel BUG at fs/btrfs/volumes.c:4618! RIP: 0010:btrfs_cancel_balance+0x5cf/0x6a0 Call Trace: <TASK> ? do_nanosleep+0x60/0x120 ? hrtimer_nanosleep+0xb7/0x1a0 ? sched_core_clone_cookie+0x70/0x70 btrfs_ioctl_balance_ctl+0x55/0x70 btrfs_ioctl+0xa46/0xd20 __x64_sys_ioctl+0x7d/0xa0 do_syscall_64+0x38/0x80 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd Race scenario as follows: > mutex_unlock(&fs_info->balance_mutex); > -------------------- > .......issue pause and cancel req in another thread > -------------------- > ret = __btrfs_balance(fs_info); > > mutex_lock(&fs_info->balance_mutex); > if (ret == -ECANCELED && atomic_read(&fs_info->balance_pause_req)) { > btrfs_info(fs_info, "balance: paused"); > btrfs_exclop_balance(fs_info, BTRFS_EXCLOP_BALANCE_PAUSED); > }

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This is a Linux kernel Btrfs bug where two balance-management actions can race and trigger a kernel BUG, causing a panic. The provided source says the race has no other side effects. Business impact is primarily availability risk on systems using Btrfs, not data theft or remote compromise based on current evidence.

Executive priority

Treat as a targeted availability risk. Patch Btrfs systems in normal kernel maintenance windows, faster for storage-heavy or high-availability services where a kernel panic would cause business disruption.

Technical view

The flaw is in btrfs_cancel_balance. A pause and cancel race during Btrfs balance handling can leave the BUG_ON condition evaluating incorrectly, producing a panic in the ioctl balance-control path. The kernel description says the race has no other side effects and references stable commits resolving the condition.

Likely exposure

Likely exposure is limited to Linux systems using Btrfs where balance operations can be paused or cancelled. The bundle does not provide a complete vulnerable release range, and listed version/hash data is insufficient to determine exposure without checking kernel vendor backports.

Exploitation context

CISA KEV is false in the provided bundle, and no cited source reports active exploitation. The available evidence supports a local availability failure scenario involving Btrfs balance control, not remote code execution, privilege escalation, or data exposure.

Researcher notes

The source bundle lacks CVSS, CWE, detailed affected ranges, and exploitation evidence. Analysis should stay constrained to the described race in Btrfs balance cancellation and the referenced stable commits. Do not infer broader kernel compromise from this record.

Mitigation direction

  • Check your Linux vendor advisory for this CVE and kernel backports.
  • Prioritize updates for critical systems using Btrfs balance operations.
  • Review whether referenced stable commits are present in deployed kernels.
  • Avoid unnecessary Btrfs balance pause/cancel activity until patched.
  • Monitor affected hosts for kernel panic or unexpected reboot events.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux hosts using Btrfs filesystems.
  • Record kernel versions and vendor patch levels for those hosts.
  • Confirm whether the stable fix commits are included or backported.
  • Review logs for Btrfs balance messages and kernel BUG panics.
  • Validate remediation through vendor-supported kernel package status.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
5

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

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

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CVE-2023-53339 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
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.

0CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
0ADP providers
4Source links

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.

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinuxddf7e8984c83aee9122552529f4e77291903f8d9, 72efe5d44821e38540888a5fe3ff3d0faab6acad, b19c98f237cd76981aaded52c258ce93f7daa8cbunaffected
LinuxLinux6.1.42, 6.4.7unaffected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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