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CVE Record

CVE-2023-53832: md/raid10: fix null-ptr-deref in raid10_sync_request

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: md/raid10: fix null-ptr-deref in raid10_sync_request init_resync() inits mempool and sets conf->have_replacemnt at the beginning of sync, close_sync() frees the mempool when sync is completed. After [1] recovery might be skipped and init_resync() is called but close_sync() is not. null-ptr-deref occurs with r10bio->dev[i].repl_bio. The following is one way to reproduce the issue. 1) create a array, wait for resync to complete, mddev->recovery_cp is set to MaxSector. 2) recovery is woken and it is skipped. conf->have_replacement is set to 0 in init_resync(). close_sync() not called. 3) some io errors and rdev A is set to WantReplacement. 4) a new device is added and set to A's replacement. 5) recovery is woken, A have replacement, but conf->have_replacemnt is 0. r10bio->dev[i].repl_bio will not be alloced and null-ptr-deref occurs. Fix it by not calling init_resync() if recovery skipped. [1] commit 7e83ccbecd60 ("md/raid10: Allow skipping recovery when clean arrays are assembled")

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2023-53832 is a Linux kernel md RAID10 bug that can crash affected systems during a narrow storage recovery and replacement sequence. The business impact is availability risk for servers using software RAID10, especially storage-heavy hosts. The source bundle does not report data theft, privilege escalation, or confirmed exploitation.

Executive priority

Treat this as a targeted availability issue. Patch normal-to-high priority on Linux servers that depend on md RAID10, especially where an unexpected crash would affect customers, storage integrity operations, or recovery windows. Broader emergency action is not supported by the provided evidence.

Technical view

The flaw is a null pointer dereference in raid10_sync_request. A prior change allowed recovery to be skipped for clean arrays; init_resync could still run while close_sync did not. Later replacement handling can leave repl_bio unallocated, causing a kernel null pointer dereference. Stable kernel commits fix this by avoiding init_resync when recovery is skipped.

Likely exposure

Exposure appears limited to Linux systems using md RAID10 on affected kernel versions or builds containing commit 7e83ccbecd60 without the stable fixes. Systems not using Linux software RAID10 are unlikely to be exposed based on the provided sources.

Exploitation context

No active exploitation is supported by the bundle, and KEV is false. The described failure depends on RAID10 recovery being skipped, device error or replacement state, and later recovery activity. This points to denial-of-service risk rather than a remotely reachable vulnerability.

Researcher notes

The key condition is state inconsistency after skipped recovery: init_resync clears replacement tracking, close_sync is not called, and later replacement I/O expects repl_bio allocation that did not happen. The public record provides fix commits but no CVSS, CWE, exploit report, or distro-specific fixed package list.

Mitigation direction

  • Apply vendor or stable kernel updates containing the listed md/raid10 fixes.
  • Check distribution advisories before assuming a specific package version is fixed.
  • Prioritize hosts using md RAID10 for production storage or high-availability services.
  • Maintain tested backups before storage maintenance or kernel changes.
  • Monitor RAID10 recovery and replacement events until patched.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux hosts using md RAID10 arrays.
  • Map running kernel packages to vendor advisories or the listed stable commits.
  • Review kernel logs for null pointer dereferences involving raid10_sync_request.
  • Check md array recovery, replacement, and degraded states on critical servers.
  • Confirm patched hosts rebooted into the fixed kernel.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
10

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-2023-53832 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
9Source 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.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux7e83ccbecd608b971f340e951c9e84cd0343002f, 7e83ccbecd608b971f340e951c9e84cd0343002f, 7e83ccbecd608b971f340e951c9e84cd0343002f, 7e83ccbecd608b971f340e951c9e84cd0343002f, 7e83ccbecd608b971f340e951c9e84cd0343002f, 7e83ccbecd608b971f340e951c9e84cd0343002f, 7e83ccbecd608b971f340e951c9e84cd0343002f, 7e83ccbecd608b971f340e951c9e84cd0343002funaffected
LinuxLinux3.10, 0, 4.19.283, 5.4.243, 5.10.180, 5.15.111, 6.1.28, 6.2.15, 6.3.2, 6.4affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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