CVE-2023-53481: Linux Kernel

Medium severity, CVSS 5.5. EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ubi: ubi_wl_put_peb: Fix infinite loop when wear-leveling work failed Following process will trigger an infinite loop in ubi_wl_put_peb(): ubifs_bgt ubi_bgt ubifs_leb_unmap ubi_leb_unmap ubi_eba_unmap_leb ubi_wl_put_peb wear_leveling_worker e1 = rb_entry(rb_first(&ubi->used) e2 = get_peb_for_wl(ubi) ubi_io_read_vid_hdr // return err (flash fault) out_error: ubi->move_from = ubi->move_to = NULL wl_entry_destroy(ubi, e1) ubi->lookuptbl[e->pnum] = NULL retry: e = ubi->lookuptbl[pnum]; // return NULL if (e == ubi->move_from) { // NULL == NULL gets true goto retry; // infinite loop !!! $ top PID USER PR NI VIRT RES SHR S %CPU %MEM COMMAND 7676 root 20 0 0 0 0 R 100.0 0.0 ubifs_bgt0_0 Fix it by: 1) Letting ubi_wl_put_peb() returns directly if wearl leveling entry has been removed from 'ubi->lookuptbl'. 2) Using 'ubi->wl_lock' protecting wl entry deletion to preventing an use-after-free problem for wl entry in ubi_wl_put_peb(). Fetch a reproducer in [Link].

Affected products

• Linux Linux Kernel: from 2.6.25, before 4.14.308 (fixed in 4.14.308); from 4.15, before 4.19.276 (fixed in 4.19.276); from 4.20, before 5.4.235 (fixed in 5.4.235); from 5.5, before 5.10.173 (fixed in 5.10.173); from 5.11, before 5.15.100 (fixed in 5.15.100); from 5.16, before 6.1.18 (fixed in 6.1.18); …

Published 2025-10-01. Last modified 2026-08-04.