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CVE Record

CVE-2023-54316: refscale: Fix uninitalized use of wait_queue_head_t

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: refscale: Fix uninitalized use of wait_queue_head_t Running the refscale test occasionally crashes the kernel with the following error: [ 8569.952896] BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: ffffffffffffffe8 [ 8569.952900] #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode [ 8569.952902] #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page [ 8569.952904] PGD c4b048067 P4D c4b049067 PUD c4b04b067 PMD 0 [ 8569.952910] Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT_RT SMP NOPTI [ 8569.952916] Hardware name: Dell Inc. PowerEdge R750/0WMWCR, BIOS 1.2.4 05/28/2021 [ 8569.952917] RIP: 0010:prepare_to_wait_event+0x101/0x190 : [ 8569.952940] Call Trace: [ 8569.952941] <TASK> [ 8569.952944] ref_scale_reader+0x380/0x4a0 [refscale] [ 8569.952959] kthread+0x10e/0x130 [ 8569.952966] ret_from_fork+0x1f/0x30 [ 8569.952973] </TASK> The likely cause is that init_waitqueue_head() is called after the call to the torture_create_kthread() function that creates the ref_scale_reader kthread. Although this init_waitqueue_head() call will very likely complete before this kthread is created and starts running, it is possible that the calling kthread will be delayed between the calls to torture_create_kthread() and init_waitqueue_head(). In this case, the new kthread will use the waitqueue head before it is properly initialized, which is not good for the kernel's health and well-being. The above crash happened here: static inline void __add_wait_queue(...) { : if (!(wq->flags & WQ_FLAG_PRIORITY)) <=== Crash here The offset of flags from list_head entry in wait_queue_entry is -0x18. If reader_tasks[i].wq.head.next is NULL as allocated reader_task structure is zero initialized, the instruction will try to access address 0xffffffffffffffe8, which is exactly the fault address listed above. This commit therefore invokes init_waitqueue_head() before creating the kthread.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysislow

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2023-54316 is a Linux kernel bug in the refscale test code that can crash the kernel when the test runs. The issue is an initialization race: a worker thread can use a wait queue before it is initialized. Business impact appears limited to systems running this kernel test path, but a kernel crash can still disrupt affected test or lab hosts.

Executive priority

Treat as low business urgency unless your organization runs Linux kernel torture/refscale testing on affected hosts. Patch through normal kernel maintenance; prioritize faster where kernel crashes disrupt CI, validation, or shared lab infrastructure.

Technical view

The refscale reader kthread may be created before init_waitqueue_head() initializes its wait_queue_head_t. If scheduling allows the new kthread to run first, prepare_to_wait_event() can dereference an uninitialized wait queue pointer and trigger a kernel page fault. The fix initializes the wait queue before creating the kthread.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely on Linux systems using affected kernel versions and running the refscale torture/test module. The source bundle does not show ordinary remote attack surface, CPEs, CVSS, or distribution-specific package impact.

Exploitation context

The bundle says KEV is false and provides no evidence of active exploitation. The documented failure occurs while running refscale tests and results in an occasional kernel crash, not a described privilege escalation or remote compromise path.

Researcher notes

Evidence points to a race in test code, fixed by moving init_waitqueue_head() before torture_create_kthread(). The affected-version data in the bundle is limited and lacks CVSS/CWE detail, so validate against upstream commits and downstream vendor advisories.

Mitigation direction

  • Apply Linux kernel stable fixes or distribution updates containing the referenced commits.
  • Avoid running refscale tests on vulnerable kernels until updated.
  • Check Linux distribution advisories for package-specific fixed versions.
  • Prioritize remediation for CI, lab, and kernel-validation systems using refscale.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux kernel versions against the affected versions in the CVE record.
  • Confirm whether refscale is built, loadable, or used in testing workflows.
  • Check kernel changelogs or source for the referenced stable fix commits.
  • Review kernel logs for ref_scale_reader or prepare_to_wait_event crash traces.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
8

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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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
7Source 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
LinuxLinux653ed64b01dc5989f8f579d0038e987476c2c023, 653ed64b01dc5989f8f579d0038e987476c2c023, 653ed64b01dc5989f8f579d0038e987476c2c023, 653ed64b01dc5989f8f579d0038e987476c2c023, 653ed64b01dc5989f8f579d0038e987476c2c023, 653ed64b01dc5989f8f579d0038e987476c2c023unaffected
LinuxLinux5.9, 0, 5.10.195, 5.15.132, 6.1.53, 6.4.16, 6.5.3, 6.6affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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