CVE-2023-53522
Full vulnerability record from the local CVENow database.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cgroup,freezer: hold cpu_hotplug_lock before freezer_mutex syzbot is reporting circular locking dependency between cpu_hotplug_lock and freezer_mutex, for commit f5d39b020809 ("freezer,sched: Rewrite core freezer logic") replaced atomic_inc() in freezer_apply_state() with static_branch_inc() which holds cpu_hotplug_lock. cpu_hotplug_lock => cgroup_threadgroup_rwsem => freezer_mutex cgroup_file_write() { cgroup_procs_write() { __cgroup_procs_write() { cgroup_procs_write_start() { cgroup_attach_lock() { cpus_read_lock() { percpu_down_read(&cpu_hotplug_lock); } percpu_down_write(&cgroup_threadgroup_rwsem); } } cgroup_attach_task() { cgroup_migrate() { cgroup_migrate_execute() { freezer_attach() { mutex_lock(&freezer_mutex); (...snipped...) } } } } (...snipped...) } } } freezer_mutex => cpu_hotplug_lock cgroup_file_write() { freezer_write() { freezer_change_state() { mutex_lock(&freezer_mutex); freezer_apply_state() { static_branch_inc(&freezer_active) { static_key_slow_inc() { cpus_read_lock(); static_key_slow_inc_cpuslocked(); cpus_read_unlock(); } } } mutex_unlock(&freezer_mutex); } } } Swap locking order by moving cpus_read_lock() in freezer_apply_state() to before mutex_lock(&freezer_mutex) in freezer_change_state().
View original CVE JSON
{
"id": "CVE-2023-53522",
"sourceIdentifier": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"published": "2025-10-01T12:15:56.617",
"lastModified": "2026-11-05T21:17:24.563",
"vulnStatus": "Analyzed",
"cveTags": [],
"descriptions": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\ncgroup,freezer: hold cpu_hotplug_lock before freezer_mutex\n\nsyzbot is reporting circular locking dependency between cpu_hotplug_lock\nand freezer_mutex, for commit f5d39b020809 (\"freezer,sched: Rewrite core\nfreezer logic\") replaced atomic_inc() in freezer_apply_state() with\nstatic_branch_inc() which holds cpu_hotplug_lock.\n\ncpu_hotplug_lock => cgroup_threadgroup_rwsem => freezer_mutex\n\n cgroup_file_write() {\n cgroup_procs_write() {\n __cgroup_procs_write() {\n cgroup_procs_write_start() {\n cgroup_attach_lock() {\n cpus_read_lock() {\n percpu_down_read(&cpu_hotplug_lock);\n }\n percpu_down_write(&cgroup_threadgroup_rwsem);\n }\n }\n cgroup_attach_task() {\n cgroup_migrate() {\n cgroup_migrate_execute() {\n freezer_attach() {\n mutex_lock(&freezer_mutex);\n (...snipped...)\n }\n }\n }\n }\n (...snipped...)\n }\n }\n }\n\nfreezer_mutex => cpu_hotplug_lock\n\n cgroup_file_write() {\n freezer_write() {\n freezer_change_state() {\n mutex_lock(&freezer_mutex);\n freezer_apply_state() {\n static_branch_inc(&freezer_active) {\n static_key_slow_inc() {\n cpus_read_lock();\n static_key_slow_inc_cpuslocked();\n cpus_read_unlock();\n }\n }\n }\n mutex_unlock(&freezer_mutex);\n }\n }\n }\n\nSwap locking order by moving cpus_read_lock() in freezer_apply_state()\nto before mutex_lock(&freezer_mutex) in freezer_change_state()."
}
],
"affected": [
{
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"affectedData": [
{
"vendor": "Linux",
"product": "Linux",
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"programFiles": [
"kernel/cgroup/legacy_freezer.c"
],
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"versions": [
{
"version": "f5d39b020809146cc28e6e73369bf8065e0310aa",
"lessThan": "3756171b97c307d9df8b8ded1d883eec30172085",
"versionType": "git",
"status": "affected"
},
{
"version": "f5d39b020809146cc28e6e73369bf8065e0310aa",
"lessThan": "34fbb7b45bae20b551dda24337c7761ca13ce69d",
"versionType": "git",
"status": "affected"
},
{
"version": "f5d39b020809146cc28e6e73369bf8065e0310aa",
"lessThan": "57dcd64c7e036299ef526b400a8d12b8a2352f26",
"versionType": "git",
"status": "affected"
}
]
},
{
"vendor": "Linux",
"product": "Linux",
"defaultStatus": "affected",
"programFiles": [
"kernel/cgroup/legacy_freezer.c"
],
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"versions": [
{
"version": "6.1",
"status": "affected"
},
{
"version": "0",
"lessThan": "6.1",
"versionType": "semver",
"status": "unaffected"
},
{
"version": "6.1.25",
"lessThanOrEqual": "6.1.*",
"versionType": "semver",
"status": "unaffected"
},
{
"version": "6.2.12",
"lessThanOrEqual": "6.2.*",
"versionType": "semver",
"status": "unaffected"
},
{
"version": "6.3",
"lessThanOrEqual": "*",
"versionType": "original_commit_for_fix",
"status": "unaffected"
}
]
}
]
}
],
"metrics": {
"cvssMetricV31": [
{
"source": "[email protected]",
"type": "Primary",
"cvssData": {
"version": "3.1",
"vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"baseScore": 7.8,
"baseSeverity": "HIGH",
"attackVector": "LOCAL",
"attackComplexity": "LOW",
"privilegesRequired": "LOW",
"userInteraction": "NONE",
"scope": "UNCHANGED",
"confidentialityImpact": "HIGH",
"integrityImpact": "HIGH",
"availabilityImpact": "HIGH"
},
"exploitabilityScore": 1.8,
"impactScore": 5.9
}
],
"ssvcV203": [
{
"source": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0",
"ssvcData": {
"timestamp": "2026-11-05T20:23:05.576126Z",
"id": "CVE-2023-53522",
"options": [
{
"exploitation": "none"
},
{
"automatable": "no"
},
{
"technicalImpact": "partial"
}
],
"role": "CISA Coordinator",
"version": "2.0.3"
}
}
]
},
"weaknesses": [
{
"source": "[email protected]",
"type": "Primary",
"description": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "NVD-CWE-noinfo"
}
]
}
],
"configurations": [
{
"nodes": [
{
"operator": "OR",
"negate": false,
"cpeMatch": [
{
"vulnerable": true,
"criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"versionStartIncluding": "6.1",
"versionEndExcluding": "6.1.25",
"matchCriteriaId": "6867AE92-1249-46ED-9700-6669542F71CF"
},
{
"vulnerable": true,
"criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"versionStartIncluding": "6.2",
"versionEndExcluding": "6.2.12",
"matchCriteriaId": "4AA01E0B-227C-4686-AC91-BA30BCC48E6D"
},
{
"vulnerable": true,
"criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.3:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"matchCriteriaId": "B8E3B0E8-FA27-4305-87BB-AF6C25B160CB"
},
{
"vulnerable": true,
"criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.3:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"matchCriteriaId": "A47F0FC3-CE52-4BA1-BA51-22F783938431"
},
{
"vulnerable": true,
"criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.3:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"matchCriteriaId": "3583026A-27EC-4A4C-850A-83F2AF970673"
},
{
"vulnerable": true,
"criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.3:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"matchCriteriaId": "DC271202-7570-4505-89A4-D602D47BFD00"
},
{
"vulnerable": true,
"criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.3:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"matchCriteriaId": "D413BB6D-4F74-4C7D-9163-47786619EF53"
},
{
"vulnerable": true,
"criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.3:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"matchCriteriaId": "F4D613FB-9976-4989-8C4A-567773373CEA"
}
]
}
]
}
],
"references": [
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/34fbb7b45bae20b551dda24337c7761ca13ce69d",
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"tags": [
"Patch"
]
},
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3756171b97c307d9df8b8ded1d883eec30172085",
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"tags": [
"Patch"
]
},
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/57dcd64c7e036299ef526b400a8d12b8a2352f26",
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"tags": [
"Patch"
]
}
]
}