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CVE Record

CVE-2023-53394: net/mlx5e: xsk: Fix crash on regular rq reactivation

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5e: xsk: Fix crash on regular rq reactivation When the regular rq is reactivated after the XSK socket is closed it could be reading stale cqes which eventually corrupts the rq. This leads to no more traffic being received on the regular rq and a crash on the next close or deactivation of the rq. Kal Cuttler Conely reported this issue as a crash on the release path when the xdpsock sample program is stopped (killed) and restarted in sequence while traffic is running. This patch flushes all cqes when during the rq flush. The cqe flushing is done in the reset state of the rq. mlx5e_rq_to_ready code is moved into the flush function to allow for this.

MediumCVSS 5.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This Linux kernel issue can crash networking on affected systems using the mlx5 Ethernet driver with XSK/AF_XDP activity. It is a local denial-of-service risk, not a remote code execution issue based on the provided sources. Business impact is mainly service disruption on hosts running the affected driver and workload.

Executive priority

Handle through normal kernel patch management, with higher priority for performance networking hosts using mlx5 hardware and AF_XDP/XSK. The main risk is outage or degraded network availability, and no provided source supports active exploitation.

Technical view

In net/mlx5e XSK handling, reactivating the regular receive queue after an XSK socket closes can process stale completion queue entries. That can corrupt the receive queue, stop traffic reception, and crash during later queue close or deactivation. CVSS 3.1 is 5.5, local, low complexity, low privileges, availability high.

Likely exposure

Likely exposure is Linux systems using the mlx5 Ethernet driver and XSK/AF_XDP workloads. The CVE record lists affected Linux versions including 6.1, 6.4.10, and 6.5, plus commit identifiers. Exact exposure depends on distribution kernel backports and whether this driver and workload are present.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show active exploitation, and KEV is false. The reported scenario involved stopping and restarting the xdpsock sample while traffic was running. Treat this as a local availability issue requiring privileges and relevant network-driver usage, not as evidence of broad exploitation.

Researcher notes

Evidence is limited to the CVE record and Linux stable commits. The root cause is stale CQE handling during receive-queue reactivation after XSK socket closure. Avoid over-scoping beyond Linux mlx5e/XSK paths unless vendor advisories map additional affected packages.

Mitigation direction

  • Apply a Linux kernel update containing the referenced stable fixes.
  • Check your Linux distribution advisory for backported mlx5e fixes.
  • Prioritize hosts using mlx5 hardware with AF_XDP or XSK workloads.
  • Limit local access to users allowed to run XSK-related networking workloads.

Validation and detection

  • Identify systems running Linux kernels matching the affected versions or commits.
  • Confirm whether mlx5e driver and XSK or AF_XDP workloads are used.
  • Check distro kernel changelogs for the referenced stable commit IDs.
  • Monitor affected hosts for receive-queue stalls or related kernel crashes.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
4

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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CVE-2023-53394 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
3Source 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-2023-53394Attack 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
LinuxLinux082a9edf12fef88400172e7d1b131d65a3ed492e, 082a9edf12fef88400172e7d1b131d65a3ed492eunaffected
LinuxLinux6.1, 0, 6.4.10, 6.5affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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