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NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

CVE-2023-53101: ext4: zero i_disksize when initializing the bootloader inode

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 22/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.20% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: Linux Linux 01a821aacc64d4b05dafd239dbc9b7856686002f, 0d8a6c9a6415999fee1259ccf1796480c026b7d6, 3f00c476da8fe7c4c34ea16abb55d74127120413.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 01a821aacc64d4b05dafd239dbc9b7856686002f, 0d8a6c9a6415999fee1259ccf1796480c026b7d6, 3f00c476da8fe7c4c34ea16abb55d74127120413 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: zero i_disksize when initializing the bootloader inode If the boot loader inode has never been used before, the EXT4_IOC_SWAP_BOOT inode will initialize it, including setting the i_size to 0. However, if the "never before used" boot loader has a non-zero i_size, then i_disksize will be non-zero, and the inconsistency between i_size and i_disksize can trigger a kernel warning: WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 2580 at fs/ext4/file.c:319 CPU: 0 PID: 2580 Comm: bb Not tainted 6.3.0-rc1-00004-g703695902cfa RIP: 0010:ext4_file_write_iter+0xbc7/0xd10 Call Trace: vfs_write+0x3b1/0x5c0 ksys_write+0x77/0x160 __x64_sys_write+0x22/0x30 do_syscall_64+0x39/0x80 Reproducer: 1. create corrupted image and mount it: mke2fs -t ext4 /tmp/foo.img 200 debugfs -wR "sif <5> size 25700" /tmp/foo.img mount -t ext4 /tmp/foo.img /mnt cd /mnt echo 123 > file 2. Run the reproducer program: posix_memalign(&buf, 1024, 1024) fd = open("file", O_RDWR | O_DIRECT); ioctl(fd, EXT4_IOC_SWAP_BOOT); write(fd, buf, 1024); Fix this by setting i_disksize as well as i_size to zero when initiaizing the boot loader inode.

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
May 2, 2025
Updated
Nov 5, 2026
EPSS
0.2% · 10th percentile
CWE
—

Report tools

JSON

Action score

22

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
22 / 40 · 5.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.2%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2023-53101

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
linuxlinux kernel

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • linux linux kernelbefore 4.14.310
  • linux linux kernel4.15 and later · before 4.19.278
  • linux linux kernel4.20 and later · before 5.4.237
  • linux linux kernel5.5 and later · before 5.10.175
  • linux linux kernel5.11 and later · before 5.15.103
  • linux linux kernel5.16 and later · before 6.1.20
  • linux linux kernel6.2 and later · before 6.2.7
  • linux linux kernel6.3

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Linux). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Linux Linux

    • 3.10affected
    • 393d1d1d76933886d5e1ce603214c9987589c6d5 and later · before d6c1447e483c05dbcfb3ff77ac04237a82070b8caffected · git
    • 393d1d1d76933886d5e1ce603214c9987589c6d5 and later · before 59eee0cdf8c036f554add97a4da7c06d7a9ff34aaffected · git
    • 393d1d1d76933886d5e1ce603214c9987589c6d5 and later · before 0d8a6c9a6415999fee1259ccf1796480c026b7d6affected · git
    • 393d1d1d76933886d5e1ce603214c9987589c6d5 and later · before 3f00c476da8fe7c4c34ea16abb55d74127120413affected · git
    • 393d1d1d76933886d5e1ce603214c9987589c6d5 and later · before 01a821aacc64d4b05dafd239dbc9b7856686002faffected · git
    • 393d1d1d76933886d5e1ce603214c9987589c6d5 and later · before 9cb27b1e76f0cc886ac09055bc41c0ab3f205167affected · git
    • 393d1d1d76933886d5e1ce603214c9987589c6d5 and later · before 9e9a4cc5486356158554f6ad73027d8635a48b34affected · git
    • 393d1d1d76933886d5e1ce603214c9987589c6d5 and later · before f5361da1e60d54ec81346aee8e3d8baf1be0b762affected · git
    • before 3.10not affected · semver

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12linuxbefore 6.1.20-16.1.20-1

Same product

linux: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-31431crypto: algif_aead - Revert to operating out-of-placeKEV
    90Now
  • CVE-2022-0847A flaw was found in the way the "flags" member of the new pipe buffer structure was lacking proper initialization in copy_page_to_iter_pipe KEV
    89Now
  • CVE-2021-22555Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACEKEV
    85Now

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-53096May 2, 2025 · interconnect: fix mem leak when freeing nodes
    22Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-53100May 2, 2025 · ext4: fix WARNING in ext4_update_inline_data
    22Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2023-53102May 2, 2025 · ice: xsk: disable txq irq before flushing hw
    22Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Linux Linux01a821aacc64d4b05dafd239dbc9b7856686002fVendor (CNA)
Linux Linux0d8a6c9a6415999fee1259ccf1796480c026b7d6Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux3f00c476da8fe7c4c34ea16abb55d74127120413Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux59eee0cdf8c036f554add97a4da7c06d7a9ff34aVendor (CNA)
Linux Linux9cb27b1e76f0cc886ac09055bc41c0ab3f205167Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux9e9a4cc5486356158554f6ad73027d8635a48b34Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxd6c1447e483c05dbcfb3ff77ac04237a82070b8cVendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxf5361da1e60d54ec81346aee8e3d8baf1be0b762Vendor (CNA)
debian:linux6.1.20-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
none
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

—

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

Change log

  1. SSVC exploitation— → none
  2. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (7 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records