LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2023-54160: firmware: arm_sdei: Fix sleep from invalid context BUG

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: firmware: arm_sdei: Fix sleep from invalid context BUG Running a preempt-rt (v6.2-rc3-rt1) based kernel on an Ampere Altra triggers: BUG: sleeping function called from invalid context at kernel/locking/spinlock_rt.c:46 in_atomic(): 0, irqs_disabled(): 128, non_block: 0, pid: 24, name: cpuhp/0 preempt_count: 0, expected: 0 RCU nest depth: 0, expected: 0 3 locks held by cpuhp/0/24: #0: ffffda30217c70d0 (cpu_hotplug_lock){++++}-{0:0}, at: cpuhp_thread_fun+0x5c/0x248 #1: ffffda30217c7120 (cpuhp_state-up){+.+.}-{0:0}, at: cpuhp_thread_fun+0x5c/0x248 #2: ffffda3021c711f0 (sdei_list_lock){....}-{3:3}, at: sdei_cpuhp_up+0x3c/0x130 irq event stamp: 36 hardirqs last enabled at (35): [<ffffda301e85b7bc>] finish_task_switch+0xb4/0x2b0 hardirqs last disabled at (36): [<ffffda301e812fec>] cpuhp_thread_fun+0x21c/0x248 softirqs last enabled at (0): [<ffffda301e80b184>] copy_process+0x63c/0x1ac0 softirqs last disabled at (0): [<0000000000000000>] 0x0 CPU: 0 PID: 24 Comm: cpuhp/0 Not tainted 5.19.0-rc3-rt5-[...] Hardware name: WIWYNN Mt.Jade Server [...] Call trace: dump_backtrace+0x114/0x120 show_stack+0x20/0x70 dump_stack_lvl+0x9c/0xd8 dump_stack+0x18/0x34 __might_resched+0x188/0x228 rt_spin_lock+0x70/0x120 sdei_cpuhp_up+0x3c/0x130 cpuhp_invoke_callback+0x250/0xf08 cpuhp_thread_fun+0x120/0x248 smpboot_thread_fn+0x280/0x320 kthread+0x130/0x140 ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 sdei_cpuhp_up() is called in the STARTING hotplug section, which runs with interrupts disabled. Use a CPUHP_AP_ONLINE_DYN entry instead to execute the cpuhp cb later, with preemption enabled. SDEI originally got its own cpuhp slot to allow interacting with perf. It got superseded by pNMI and this early slot is not relevant anymore. [1] Some SDEI calls (e.g. SDEI_1_0_FN_SDEI_PE_MASK) take actions on the calling CPU. It is checked that preemption is disabled for them. _ONLINE cpuhp cb are executed in the 'per CPU hotplug thread'. Preemption is enabled in those threads, but their cpumask is limited to 1 CPU. Move 'WARN_ON_ONCE(preemptible())' statements so that SDEI cpuhp cb don't trigger them. Also add a check for the SDEI_1_0_FN_SDEI_PRIVATE_RESET SDEI call which acts on the calling CPU. [1]: https://lore.kernel.org/all/5813b8c5-ae3e-87fd-fccc-94c9cd08816d@arm.com/

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Discuss exposureBack to CVEs
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysisunknown

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This is a Linux kernel reliability flaw in ARM SDEI CPU hotplug handling. On affected ARM systems, especially preempt-rt kernels observed on Ampere Altra, the kernel can hit a BUG because code may sleep while interrupts are disabled. Business impact appears availability-focused, but public severity data is incomplete.

Executive priority

Track and remediate during normal kernel maintenance unless affected ARM real-time systems are business-critical. Escalate priority for Ampere Altra, PREEMPT_RT, or environments where kernel BUGs could disrupt production availability.

Technical view

The issue is in firmware/arm_sdei. sdei_cpuhp_up() ran in the STARTING CPU hotplug section with interrupts disabled, then attempted locking that can sleep under PREEMPT_RT. The fix moves the callback to CPUHP_AP_ONLINE_DYN and adjusts preemption checks for SDEI calls acting on the current CPU.

Likely exposure

Exposure is likely limited to Linux systems on ARM platforms using ARM SDEI, with source evidence specifically showing PREEMPT_RT behavior on Ampere Altra. The CVE source lists Linux kernel versions and stable lines as affected; distribution backports may change real exposure.

Exploitation context

No active exploitation is stated in the supplied sources, and KEV is false. The public record describes a kernel BUG triggered by CPU hotplug context, not a weaponized attack path. Treat exploitability and security impact as unproven from the available evidence.

Researcher notes

The evidence supports a context/locking defect in ARM SDEI CPU hotplug handling. Severity, CVSS, CWE, and exploitation details are absent. Research should focus on affected kernel branch mapping, distro backports, runtime SDEI use, and whether the BUG can cause practical denial of service.

Mitigation direction

  • Update to a kernel containing the linked stable fix commits.
  • Check Linux distribution advisories for backported fixes.
  • Prioritize ARM SDEI and PREEMPT_RT deployments.
  • Plan maintenance for availability-sensitive ARM servers.
  • Avoid inventing workarounds; follow vendor kernel guidance.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory ARM Linux hosts and kernel versions.
  • Identify systems using ARM SDEI or affected hardware.
  • Confirm whether vendor kernels include the stable fix.
  • Review kernel logs for related invalid-context BUG messages.
  • Test CPU hotplug behavior in staging after updating.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
9

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

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

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2023-54160 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
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
8Source 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
LinuxLinuxf92b5462a2f22d13a75dc663f7b2fac16a3e61cb, f92b5462a2f22d13a75dc663f7b2fac16a3e61cb, f92b5462a2f22d13a75dc663f7b2fac16a3e61cb, f92b5462a2f22d13a75dc663f7b2fac16a3e61cb, f92b5462a2f22d13a75dc663f7b2fac16a3e61cb, f92b5462a2f22d13a75dc663f7b2fac16a3e61cb, f92b5462a2f22d13a75dc663f7b2fac16a3e61cbunaffected
LinuxLinux4.16, 0, 4.19.284, 5.4.244, 5.10.181, 5.15.113, 6.1.30, 6.3.4, 6.4affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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