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NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

CVE-2023-53281: drivers: staging: rtl8723bs: Fix locking in _rtw_join_timeout_handler()

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: 0.12% (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 209850f17717a3b5cc558578bef5631ac7045539, 215792eda008f6a1e7ed9d77fa20d582d22bb114, 2a50e44a66d268ee5db3d177f1fdc1503dbce6e7.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 209850f17717a3b5cc558578bef5631ac7045539, 215792eda008f6a1e7ed9d77fa20d582d22bb114, 2a50e44a66d268ee5db3d177f1fdc1503dbce6e7 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: drivers: staging: rtl8723bs: Fix locking in _rtw_join_timeout_handler() Commit 041879b12ddb ("drivers: staging: rtl8192bs: Fix deadlock in rtw_joinbss_event_prehandle()") besides fixing the deadlock also modified _rtw_join_timeout_handler() to use spin_[un]lock_irq() instead of spin_[un]lock_bh(). _rtw_join_timeout_handler() calls rtw_do_join() which takes pmlmepriv->scanned_queue.lock using spin_[un]lock_bh(). This spin_unlock_bh() call re-enables softirqs which triggers an oops in kernel/softirq.c: __local_bh_enable_ip() when it calls lockdep_assert_irqs_enabled(): [ 244.506087] WARNING: CPU: 2 PID: 0 at kernel/softirq.c:376 __local_bh_enable_ip+0xa6/0x100 ... [ 244.509022] Call Trace: [ 244.509048] <IRQ> [ 244.509100] _rtw_join_timeout_handler+0x134/0x170 [r8723bs] [ 244.509468] ? __pfx__rtw_join_timeout_handler+0x10/0x10 [r8723bs] [ 244.509772] ? __pfx__rtw_join_timeout_handler+0x10/0x10 [r8723bs] [ 244.510076] call_timer_fn+0x95/0x2a0 [ 244.510200] __run_timers.part.0+0x1da/0x2d0 This oops is causd by the switch to spin_[un]lock_irq() which disables the IRQs for the entire duration of _rtw_join_timeout_handler(). Disabling the IRQs is not necessary since all code taking this lock runs from either user contexts or from softirqs, switch back to spin_[un]lock_bh() to fix this.

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Sep 16, 2025
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
0.1% · 1th percentile

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 · 0.1%

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.

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When you'll hear from us

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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 kernel5.15.47 and later · before 5.15.111
  • linux linux kernel5.17.15 and later · before 5.18
  • linux linux kernel5.18.4 and later · before 6.1.28
  • linux linux kernel6.2 and later · before 6.2.15
  • linux linux kernel6.3 and later · before 6.3.2

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

    • 1f6c99b94ca3caad346876b3e22e3ca3d25bc8ee, eca9748d9267a38d532464e3305a38629e9c35a9, 5.19affected
    • ae60744d5fad840b9d056d35b4b652d95e755846 and later · before 209850f17717a3b5cc558578bef5631ac7045539affected · git
    • 041879b12ddb0c6c83ed9c0bdd10dc82a056f2fc and later · before 2a50e44a66d268ee5db3d177f1fdc1503dbce6e7affected · git
    • 041879b12ddb0c6c83ed9c0bdd10dc82a056f2fc and later · before dc327e87c6d9bfd9ee08e76396b3c0ba848ec554affected · git
    • 041879b12ddb0c6c83ed9c0bdd10dc82a056f2fc and later · before 4ab1bace1dd3875371b481ef4301c4671bddea22affected · git
    • 041879b12ddb0c6c83ed9c0bdd10dc82a056f2fc and later · before 215792eda008f6a1e7ed9d77fa20d582d22bb114affected · git
    • 5.15.47 and later · before 5.15.111affected · semver
    • 5.17.15 and later · before 5.18affected · semver
    • 5.18.4 and later · before 5.19affected · semver
    • before 5.19not affected · semver

Package-level exposure

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

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12linuxbefore 6.1.37-16.1.37-1
Debian:13linuxbefore 6.3.7-16.3.7-1

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-2023-53279Sep 16, 2025 · misc: vmw_balloon: fix memory leak with using debugfs_lookup()
    22Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-53280Sep 16, 2025 · scsi: qla2xxx: Remove unused nvme_ls_waitq wait queue
    22Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2023-53282Sep 16, 2025 · scsi: lpfc: Fix use-after-free KFENCE violation during sysfs firmware write
    31Monitor

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 Linux209850f17717a3b5cc558578bef5631ac7045539Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux215792eda008f6a1e7ed9d77fa20d582d22bb114Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux2a50e44a66d268ee5db3d177f1fdc1503dbce6e7Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux4ab1bace1dd3875371b481ef4301c4671bddea22Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux5.15.111Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux5.18Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux5.19Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxdc327e87c6d9bfd9ee08e76396b3c0ba848ec554Vendor (CNA)
debian:linux6.1.37-1 · 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.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

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)

CWE-667 · Improper Locking

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.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

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

References

Show all references (4 more)

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

All records