NULL Pointer Dereference Affecting kernel-libbpf-devel package, versions <0:6.1.34-56.100.amzn2023
Threat Intelligence
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Start learning- Snyk IDSNYK-AMZN2023-KERNELLIBBPFDEVEL-13551934
- published15 Oct 2025
- disclosed18 Sept 2025
Introduced: 18 Sep 2025
CVE-2023-53419 (opens in a new tab)How to fix?
Upgrade Amazon-Linux:2023 kernel-libbpf-devel to version 0:6.1.34-56.100.amzn2023 or higher.
This issue was patched in ALAS2023-2023-228.
NVD Description
Note: Versions mentioned in the description apply only to the upstream kernel-libbpf-devel package and not the kernel-libbpf-devel package as distributed by Amazon-Linux.
See How to fix? for Amazon-Linux:2023 relevant fixed versions and status.
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
rcu: Protect rcu_print_task_exp_stall() ->exp_tasks access
For kernels built with CONFIG_PREEMPT_RCU=y, the following scenario can result in a NULL-pointer dereference:
CPU1 CPU2
rcu_preempt_deferred_qs_irqrestore rcu_print_task_exp_stall if (special.b.blocked) READ_ONCE(rnp->exp_tasks) != NULL raw_spin_lock_rcu_node np = rcu_next_node_entry(t, rnp) if (&t->rcu_node_entry == rnp->exp_tasks) WRITE_ONCE(rnp->exp_tasks, np) .... raw_spin_unlock_irqrestore_rcu_node raw_spin_lock_irqsave_rcu_node t = list_entry(rnp->exp_tasks->prev, struct task_struct, rcu_node_entry) (if rnp->exp_tasks is NULL, this will dereference a NULL pointer)
The problem is that CPU2 accesses the rcu_node structure's->exp_tasks field without holding the rcu_node structure's ->lock and CPU2 did not observe CPU1's change to rcu_node structure's ->exp_tasks in time. Therefore, if CPU1 sets rcu_node structure's->exp_tasks pointer to NULL, then CPU2 might dereference that NULL pointer.
This commit therefore holds the rcu_node structure's ->lock while accessing that structure's->exp_tasks field.
[ paulmck: Apply Frederic Weisbecker feedback. ]
References
- http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2023-53419
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2bc0ae94ef1f9ed322d8ee439de3239ea3632ab2
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c1566bca3f8349f12b75d0a2d5e4a20ad6262ec
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a7d21b8585894e6fff973f6ddae42f02b13f600f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d0a8c0e31a09ec1efd53079083e2a677956b4d91
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e30a55e98ae6c44253d8b129efefd5da5bc6e3bc