CVE-2023-53810: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: blk-mq: release crypto keyslot before reporting I/O complete Once all I/O using ...

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: blk-mq: release crypto keyslot before reporting I/O complete Once all I/O using a blk_crypto_key has completed, filesystems can call blk_crypto_evict_key(). However, the block layer currently doesn't call blk_crypto_put_keyslot() until the request is being freed, which happens after upper layers have been told (via bio_endio()) the I/O has completed. This causes a race condition where blk_crypto_evict_key() can see 'slot_refs != 0' without there being an actual bug. This makes __blk_crypto_evict_key() hit the 'WARN_ON_ONCE(atomic_read(&slot->slot_refs) != 0)' and return without doing anything, eventually causing a use-after-free in blk_crypto_reprogram_all_keys(). (This is a very rare bug and has only been seen when per-file keys are being used with fscrypt.) There are two options to fix this: either release the keyslot before bio_endio() is called on the request's last bio, or make __blk_crypto_evict_key() ignore slot_refs. Let's go with the first solution, since it preserves the ability to report bugs (via WARN_ON_ONCE) where a key is evicted while still in-use.

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

0.17%

7.1th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Affected Software

Source: CNA advisory (CVE.org). NVD analysis pending.

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux	>= a892c8d52c02284076fbbacae6692aa5c5807d11, < 874bdf43b4a7dc5463c31508f62b3e42eb237b08; >= a892c8d52c02284076fbbacae6692aa5c5807d11, < d206f79d9cd658665b37ce8134c6ec849ac7af0c; >= a892c8d52c02284076fbbacae6692aa5c5807d11, < 7d206ec7a04e8545828191b6ea8b49d3ea61391f; >= a892c8d52c02284076fbbacae6692aa5c5807d11, < b278570e2c59d538216f8b656e97680188a8fba4; >= a892c8d52c02284076fbbacae6692aa5c5807d11, < 92d5d233b9ff531cf9cc36ab4251779e07adb633; >= a892c8d52c02284076fbbacae6692aa5c5807d11, < 9cd1e566676bbcb8a126acd921e4e194e6339603
Linux	Linux	5.8

References

Timeline

Published: Dec 9, 2025
Last Modified: Aug 4, 2026
Status: Deferred

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-53810?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: blk-mq: release crypto keyslot before reporting I/O complete Once all I/O using a blk_crypto_key has completed, filesystems can call blk_crypto_evict_key(). However, the block layer currently doesn't call blk_crypto_put_keyslot() until the request is being freed, which happens after upper layers have been told (via bio_endio()) the I/O has completed. This causes a race condition where blk_crypto_evict_key() can see 'slot_refs != 0' without there being an actual bug. This makes __blk_crypto_evict_key() hit the 'WARN_ON_ONCE(atomic_read(&slot->slot_refs) != 0)' and return without doing anything, eventually causing a use-after-free in blk_crypto_reprogram_all_keys(). (This is a very rare bug and has only been seen when per-file keys are being used with fscrypt.) There are two options to fix this: either release the keyslot before bio_endio() is called on the request's last bio, or make __blk_crypto_evict_key() ignore slot_refs. Let's go with the first solution, since it preserves the ability to report bugs (via WARN_ON_ONCE) where a key is evicted while still in-use.

How severe is CVE-2023-53810?

CVE-2023-53810 has a CVSS score of 7.8/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.17% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2023-53810?

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.

How Strix Helps

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