vulnerability

VMware Photon OS: CVE-2023-53419

Severity
5
CVSS
(AV:L/AC:L/Au:S/C:N/I:N/A:C)
Published
Sep 18, 2025
Added
Oct 15, 2025
Modified
Oct 23, 2025

Description

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. ]

Solution

vmware-photon_os_update_tdnf
Title
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