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CVE Record

CVE-2023-53461: io_uring: wait interruptibly for request completions on exit

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: io_uring: wait interruptibly for request completions on exit WHen the ring exits, cleanup is done and the final cancelation and waiting on completions is done by io_ring_exit_work. That function is invoked by kworker, which doesn't take any signals. Because of that, it doesn't really matter if we wait for completions in TASK_INTERRUPTIBLE or TASK_UNINTERRUPTIBLE state. However, it does matter to the hung task detection checker! Normally we expect cancelations and completions to happen rather quickly. Some test cases, however, will exit the ring and park the owning task stopped (eg via SIGSTOP). If the owning task needs to run task_work to complete requests, then io_ring_exit_work won't make any progress until the task is runnable again. Hence io_ring_exit_work can trigger the hung task detection, which is particularly problematic if panic-on-hung-task is enabled. As the ring exit doesn't take signals to begin with, have it wait interruptibly rather than uninterruptibly. io_uring has a separate stuck-exit warning that triggers independently anyway, so we're not really missing anything by making this switch.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2023-53461 is a Linux kernel io_uring cleanup issue. In specific exit conditions, cleanup work can appear hung, potentially triggering the kernel hung-task detector. If panic-on-hung-task is enabled, this can turn into a system panic and outage. No active exploitation is reported in the provided sources.

Executive priority

Prioritize routine-to-near-term patching for Linux servers where unplanned reboot or panic would be costly. Escalate priority for high-availability systems with panic-on-hung-task enabled. Current evidence does not support emergency response for active exploitation.

Technical view

During io_uring ring exit, io_ring_exit_work waits for request completions from a kworker. If the owning task is stopped and must run task_work, progress may stall. The fix changes the wait state from uninterruptible to interruptible to avoid hung-task detection side effects while retaining separate io_uring stuck-exit warnings.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to Linux systems running affected kernel versions with io_uring present. Business impact is mainly availability risk, especially on systems configured to panic on hung tasks. The provided data lists affected Linux kernel lines but does not provide complete distribution package mappings.

Exploitation context

The sources describe a condition involving io_uring exit, pending completions, and a stopped owning task. They do not state remote exploitation, privilege escalation, public exploit availability, or CISA KEV listing. Treat this as a potential local denial-of-service reliability issue unless vendor guidance says otherwise.

Researcher notes

The record lacks CVSS, CWE, and exploit details. Analysis should focus on affected kernel lineage, whether the stable commits are present, and distro backport status. The security impact depends heavily on hung-task panic configuration and the ability to reach the io_uring exit condition.

Mitigation direction

  • Apply Linux kernel updates that include the referenced stable io_uring fix commits.
  • Check your distribution advisory for backported fixes and supported kernel package names.
  • Review whether panic-on-hung-task is enabled on critical systems.
  • If patching is delayed, follow vendor guidance for io_uring or hung-task hardening.

Validation and detection

  • Identify Linux hosts running kernel versions in the affected ranges listed by the CVE record.
  • Confirm the running kernel includes one of the referenced stable commits or a distributor backport.
  • Review kernel changelogs for the io_uring exit wait-state fix.
  • Check operational policy for panic-on-hung-task on production systems.
  • Monitor vendor security advisories for updated severity or package-specific status.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
7

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-2023-53461 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
6Source 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
LinuxLinux2b188cc1bb857a9d4701ae59aa7768b5124e262e, 2b188cc1bb857a9d4701ae59aa7768b5124e262e, 2b188cc1bb857a9d4701ae59aa7768b5124e262e, 2b188cc1bb857a9d4701ae59aa7768b5124e262e, 2b188cc1bb857a9d4701ae59aa7768b5124e262eunaffected
LinuxLinux5.1, 0, 5.10.188, 5.15.121, 6.1.39, 6.4.4, 6.5affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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