CVE-2023-53618

Description

A file-system validation flaw was found in the Linux kernel B-tree File System (Btrfs) in the way relocation tree keys are accepted. Crafted on-disk data could present a relocation tree for a non-subvolume tree, leading to internal assertions and a crash during tree merging.

A local user mounting or accessing a crafted image could use this flaw to crash the system, resulting in a denial of service.

Statement

Relocation trees are only valid for subvolume trees. The code did not reject invalid relocation keys that referenced non-subvolume trees (for example, the quota tree), allowing inconsistent metadata to reach code paths that assume proper back-references. The fix teaches the tree checker to reject such keys and exits gracefully when encountered.

Mitigation

To mitigate this issue, prevent module btrfs from being loaded. Please see https://access.redhat.com/solutions/41278 for how to blacklist a kernel module to prevent it from loading automatically.

Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details

Info alert:Important note

CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).

The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.

CVSS v3 Score Breakdown

Red HatNVDcve.org
Base Score5.55.5N/A
Attack VectorLocalLocalN/A
Attack ComplexityLowLowN/A
Privileges RequiredLowLowN/A
User InteractionNoneNoneN/A
ScopeUnchangedUnchangedN/A
ConfidentialityNoneNoneN/A
Integrity ImpactNoneNoneN/A
Availability ImpactHighHighN/A

Vector

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

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Not sure what something means? Check out our Security Glossary.

Want to get errata notifications? Sign up here.