CVE-2023-53331: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: pstore/ram: Check start of empty przs during init After commit 30696378f68a ("ps...

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: pstore/ram: Check start of empty przs during init After commit 30696378f68a ("pstore/ram: Do not treat empty buffers as valid"), initialization would assume a prz was valid after seeing that the buffer_size is zero (regardless of the buffer start position). This unchecked start value means it could be outside the bounds of the buffer, leading to future access panics when written to: sysdump_panic_event+0x3b4/0x5b8 atomic_notifier_call_chain+0x54/0x90 panic+0x1c8/0x42c die+0x29c/0x2a8 die_kernel_fault+0x68/0x78 __do_kernel_fault+0x1c4/0x1e0 do_bad_area+0x40/0x100 do_translation_fault+0x68/0x80 do_mem_abort+0x68/0xf8 el1_da+0x1c/0xc0 __raw_writeb+0x38/0x174 __memcpy_toio+0x40/0xac persistent_ram_update+0x44/0x12c persistent_ram_write+0x1a8/0x1b8 ramoops_pstore_write+0x198/0x1e8 pstore_console_write+0x94/0xe0 ... To avoid this, also check if the prz start is 0 during the initialization phase. If not, the next prz sanity check case will discover it (start > size) and zap the buffer back to a sane state. [kees: update commit log with backtrace and clarifications]

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.8/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.15%

4.3th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 3.18.133, < 3.19
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 4.4.172, < 4.5
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 4.9.153, < 4.10
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 4.14.96, < 4.14.326
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 4.19.18, < 4.19.295
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 4.20.5, < 5.4.257
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.5, < 5.10.195
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.11, < 5.15.132
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.16, < 6.1.53
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.2, < 6.4.16
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.5, < 6.5.3

References

Timeline

Published: Sep 16, 2025
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-53331?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: pstore/ram: Check start of empty przs during init After commit 30696378f68a ("pstore/ram: Do not treat empty buffers as valid"), initialization would assume a prz was valid after seeing that the buffer_size is zero (regardless of the buffer start position). This unchecked start value means it could be outside the bounds of the buffer, leading to future access panics when written to: sysdump_panic_event+0x3b4/0x5b8 atomic_notifier_call_chain+0x54/0x90 panic+0x1c8/0x42c die+0x29c/0x2a8 die_kernel_fault+0x68/0x78 __do_kernel_fault+0x1c4/0x1e0 do_bad_area+0x40/0x100 do_translation_fault+0x68/0x80 do_mem_abort+0x68/0xf8 el1_da+0x1c/0xc0 __raw_writeb+0x38/0x174 __memcpy_toio+0x40/0xac persistent_ram_update+0x44/0x12c persistent_ram_write+0x1a8/0x1b8 ramoops_pstore_write+0x198/0x1e8 pstore_console_write+0x94/0xe0 ... To avoid this, also check if the prz start is 0 during the initialization phase. If not, the next prz sanity check case will discover it (start > size) and zap the buffer back to a sane state. [kees: update commit log with backtrace and clarifications]

How severe is CVE-2023-53331?

CVE-2023-53331 has a CVSS score of 7.8/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.15% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2023-53331?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.