CVE-2023-53326
NoneCVSS
—
EPSS
0.1%
Published
Sep 16, 2025
CISA due date
—
Cloudanix analysis
A bug in the Linux kernel on certain hardware can crash the entire system when background worker tasks produce diagnostic files.
- Exploitation
- Local Privilege
- Attacker needs
- Local User
- Complexity
- Theoretical
- Impact
- Denial Of Service
- Component
- OS kernel
- Class
- Memory Corruption
- Remediation
- Patch
- Effort
- Low
- Patch risk
- Low
What it actually does
NULL pointer dereference in ppr_get/ppr_set on powerpc when PF_IO_WORKER or PF_KTHREAD tasks with NULL pt_regs trigger coredump generation via regset operations.
Why it matters to the business
Kernel panic and system crash on powerpc Linux systems when I/O worker threads cause core dumps, resulting in service disruption and potential data loss on affected servers or embedded devices.
How an attack unfolds
An attacker triggers a coredump from a PF_IO_WORKER thread on powerpc; the kernel then calls ppr_get which attempts to read from a NULL pt_regs pointer during elf_core_dump, causing the dereference crash.
How to fix it
Apply the fix from commit 80a4200d51e5a7e046f4a90f5faa5bafd5a60c58 in the Linux kernel; upgrade to a fixed version such as those referenced for stable trees. Reboot after patching.
How to confirm the fix worked
Confirm kernel version contains commit 80a4200d51e5a7e046f4a90f5faa5bafd5a60c58; test coredump generation from I/O worker threads on powerpc hardware or emulation and verify absence of NULL dereference.
Typical attack path
- Create or trigger a PF_IO_WORKER thread on powerpc
- Cause the thread to generate a coredump (e.g., via signal or crash)
- Kernel invokes regset_get_alloc and ppr_get during core dump
- NULL pt_regs access leads to kernel oops and panic
How to detect it
Search kernel logs for oops messages referencing ppr_get, NULL pointer dereference at 0x00000160, or regset operations during do_coredump on powerpc systems.
What your security team should do
- Prioritize patching powerpc Linux kernels within maintenance windows due to crash risk
- Monitor for kernel oops involving ppr_get or memcpy_power7 during core dumps
- Limit untrusted code execution that could trigger coredumps in worker threads
The record
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: powerpc: Don't try to copy PPR for task with NULL pt_regs powerpc sets up PF_KTHREAD and PF_IO_WORKER with a NULL pt_regs, which from my (arguably very short) checking is not commonly done for other archs. This is fine, except when PF_IO_WORKER's have been created and the task does something that causes a coredump to be generated. Then we get this crash: Kernel attempted to read user page (160) - exploit attempt? (uid: 1000) BUG: Kernel NULL pointer dereference on read at 0x00000160 Faulting instruction address: 0xc0000000000c3a60 Oops: Kernel access of bad area, sig: 11 [#1] LE PAGE_SIZE=64K MMU=Radix SMP NR_CPUS=32 NUMA pSeries Modules linked in: bochs drm_vram_helper drm_kms_helper xts binfmt_misc ecb ctr syscopyarea sysfillrect cbc sysimgblt drm_ttm_helper aes_generic ttm sg libaes evdev joydev virtio_balloon vmx_crypto gf128mul drm dm_mod fuse loop configfs drm_panel_orientation_quirks ip_tables x_tables autofs4 hid_generic usbhid hid xhci_pci xhci_hcd usbcore usb_common sd_mod CPU: 1 PID: 1982 Comm: ppc-crash Not tainted 6.3.0-rc2+ #88 Hardware name: IBM pSeries (emulated by qemu) POWER9 (raw) 0x4e1202 0xf000005 of:SLOF,HEAD hv:linux,kvm pSeries NIP: c0000000000c3a60 LR: c000000000039944 CTR: c0000000000398e0 REGS: c0000000041833b0 TRAP: 0300 Not tainted (6.3.0-rc2+) MSR: 800000000280b033 <SF,VEC,VSX,EE,FP,ME,IR,DR,RI,LE> CR: 88082828 XER: 200400f8 ... NIP memcpy_power7+0x200/0x7d0 LR ppr_get+0x64/0xb0 Call Trace: ppr_get+0x40/0xb0 (unreliable) __regset_get+0x180/0x1f0 regset_get_alloc+0x64/0x90 elf_core_dump+0xb98/0x1b60 do_coredump+0x1c34/0x24a0 get_signal+0x71c/0x1410 do_notify_resume+0x140/0x6f0 interrupt_exit_user_prepare_main+0x29c/0x320 interrupt_exit_user_prepare+0x6c/0xa0 interrupt_return_srr_user+0x8/0x138 Because ppr_get() is trying to copy from a PF_IO_WORKER with a NULL pt_regs. Check for a valid pt_regs in both ppc_get/ppr_set, and return an error if not set. The actual error value doesn't seem to be important here, so just pick -EINVAL. [mpe: Trim oops in change log, add Fixes & Cc stable]
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Introduced | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:11 | linux | 0 | 5.10.178-1 |
| Debian:12 | linux | 0 | 6.1.25-1 |
| Debian:13 | linux | 0 | 6.1.25-1 |
| Debian:14 | linux | 0 | 6.1.25-1 |
| Linux | Kernel | 4.8.0 | 5.10.177 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP4 | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | kernel-64kb | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | kernel-default-base | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1.150400.24.92.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | kernel-docs | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | kernel-obs-build | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | kernel-source | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | kernel-syms | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-64kb | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-default-base | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1.150400.24.92.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-docs | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-obs-build | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-source | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-syms | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-ESPOS | kernel-64kb | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-ESPOS | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-ESPOS | kernel-default-base | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1.150500.6.59.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-ESPOS | kernel-docs | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-ESPOS | kernel-obs-build | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-ESPOS | kernel-source | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-ESPOS | kernel-syms | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | kernel-64kb | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | kernel-default-base | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1.150500.6.59.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | kernel-docs | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | kernel-obs-build | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | kernel-source | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | kernel-syms | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 12 SP5 | kernel-default | 0 | 4.12.14-122.275.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 12 SP5 | kgraft-patch-SLE12-SP5_Update_73 | 0 | 1-8.3.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP4 | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP4 | kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP4_Update_45 | 0 | 1-150400.9.3.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP5 | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP5 | kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP5_Update_31 | 0 | 1-150500.11.3.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | kernel-default-base | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1.150400.24.92.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | kernel-rt | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.15.133.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | kernel-source-rt | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.15.133.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | kernel-default-base | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1.150400.24.92.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | kernel-rt | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.15.133.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | kernel-source-rt | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.15.133.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | kernel-default-base | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1.150500.6.59.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | kernel-rt | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.13.109.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | kernel-source | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | kernel-source-rt | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.13.109.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | kernel-default | 0 | 4.12.14-122.275.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | kernel-source | 0 | 4.12.14-122.275.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | kernel-syms | 0 | 4.12.14-122.275.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-64kb | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-default-base | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1.150400.24.92.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-docs | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-obs-build | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-source | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-syms | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-zfcpdump | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | kernel-64kb | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | kernel-default-base | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1.150500.6.59.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | kernel-docs | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | kernel-obs-build | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | kernel-source | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | kernel-syms | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | kernel-zfcpdump | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5 | kernel-default | 0 | 4.12.14-122.275.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5 | kernel-source | 0 | 4.12.14-122.275.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5 | kernel-syms | 0 | 4.12.14-122.275.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | kernel-default-base | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1.150400.24.92.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | kernel-docs | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | kernel-obs-build | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | kernel-source | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | kernel-syms | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | kernel-default-base | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1.150500.6.59.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | kernel-docs | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | kernel-obs-build | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | kernel-source | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | kernel-syms | 0 | 5.14.21-150500.55.124.1 |
| SUSE:Manager Proxy LTS 4.3 | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Manager Proxy LTS 4.3 | kernel-default-base | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1.150400.24.92.1 |
| SUSE:Manager Proxy LTS 4.3 | kernel-source | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Manager Proxy LTS 4.3 | kernel-syms | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Manager Server LTS 4.3 | kernel-default | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Manager Server LTS 4.3 | kernel-default-base | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1.150400.24.92.1 |
| SUSE:Manager Server LTS 4.3 | kernel-source | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Manager Server LTS 4.3 | kernel-syms | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
| SUSE:Manager Server LTS 4.3 | kernel-zfcpdump | 0 | 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1 |
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