Cloudanix VulnDB

CVE-2023-53463

None

CVSS

—

EPSS

0.4%

Published

Oct 1, 2025

CISA due date

—

Cloudanix analysis

Schedule a fix SSVC: Track

A bug in a Linux network driver used on certain IBM systems can cause the whole machine to crash when the adapter resets under specific conditions.

Exploitation
Other
Attacker needs
Local User
Complexity
Moderate
Impact
Denial Of Service
Component
OS kernel
Class
Race Condition
Remediation
Upgrade
Effort
Medium
Patch risk
Low

What it actually does

A non-fatal reset in the ibmvnic driver skips flushing transmit buffers yet still calls netdev_tx_reset_queue, leaving num_queued at zero while batched skbs remain; subsequent netdev_tx_completed_queue calls then produce num_completed > num_queued, triggering the BUG_ON in dql_completed.

Why it matters to the business

Systems using the ibmvnic driver can experience unexpected kernel crashes and reboots during adapter recovery events, causing unplanned downtime on affected Linux hosts.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker with the ability to induce non-fatal adapter resets (for example via firmware or hypervisor actions on IBM PowerVM) while transmit batches are pending can force the counter mismatch that crashes the kernel.

How to fix it

Update the Linux kernel to a version containing commit b8aedf29db1280c83191fc9579ae605791faf97f or later; rebuild and deploy the fixed ibmvnic module.

How to confirm the fix worked

Confirm the running kernel contains b8aedf29db1280c83191fc9579ae605791faf97f and verify that netdev_tx_reset_queue is no longer invoked on NON_FATAL resets.

Typical attack path

  1. Trigger a non-fatal ibmvnic reset while transmit batches are queued
  2. Allow the driver to reopen the device without resetting dql counters
  3. Send the pending batch so that completed bytes exceed queued bytes
  4. Hit the BUG_ON in dql_completed and crash the kernel

How to detect it

Search kernel logs for the oops signature containing 'kernel BUG at lib/dynamic_queue_limits.c:27' and preceding ibmvnic tx error 600 messages; correlate with adapter reset events in dmesg or syslog.

  • kernel BUG at lib/dynamic_queue_limits.c:27
  • ibmvnic.*tx error 600
  • NIP dql_completed+0x28/0x1c0

What your security team should do

  • Prioritize kernel updates on all systems using the ibmvnic driver
  • Monitor vendor advisories for backported fixes in distribution kernels
  • Test the updated driver under simulated reset conditions before broad deployment

The record

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ibmvnic: Do not reset dql stats on NON_FATAL err All ibmvnic resets, make a call to netdev_tx_reset_queue() when re-opening the device. netdev_tx_reset_queue() resets the num_queued and num_completed byte counters. These stats are used in Byte Queue Limit (BQL) algorithms. The difference between these two stats tracks the number of bytes currently sitting on the physical NIC. ibmvnic increases the number of queued bytes though calls to netdev_tx_sent_queue() in the drivers xmit function. When, VIOS reports that it is done transmitting bytes, the ibmvnic device increases the number of completed bytes through calls to netdev_tx_completed_queue(). It is important to note that the driver batches its transmit calls and num_queued is increased every time that an skb is added to the next batch, not necessarily when the batch is sent to VIOS for transmission. Unlike other reset types, a NON FATAL reset will not flush the sub crq tx buffers. Therefore, it is possible for the batched skb array to be partially full. So if there is call to netdev_tx_reset_queue() when re-opening the device, the value of num_queued (0) would not account for the skb's that are currently batched. Eventually, when the batch is sent to VIOS, the call to netdev_tx_completed_queue() would increase num_completed to a value greater than the num_queued. This causes a BUG_ON crash: ibmvnic 30000002: Firmware reports error, cause: adapter problem. Starting recovery... ibmvnic 30000002: tx error 600 ibmvnic 30000002: tx error 600 ibmvnic 30000002: tx error 600 ibmvnic 30000002: tx error 600 ------------[ cut here ]------------ kernel BUG at lib/dynamic_queue_limits.c:27! Oops: Exception in kernel mode, sig: 5 [....] NIP dql_completed+0x28/0x1c0 LR ibmvnic_complete_tx.isra.0+0x23c/0x420 [ibmvnic] Call Trace: ibmvnic_complete_tx.isra.0+0x3f8/0x420 [ibmvnic] (unreliable) ibmvnic_interrupt_tx+0x40/0x70 [ibmvnic] __handle_irq_event_percpu+0x98/0x270 ---[ end trace ]--- Therefore, do not reset the dql stats when performing a NON_FATAL reset.

Affected packages

Ecosystem Package Introduced Fixed
Linux Kernel 5.11.0 5.15.121
SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP4 kernel-default 0 5.14.21-150400.24.179.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP6 kernel-default 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 kernel-default 0 6.4.0-150700.53.22.1
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 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 Live Patching 15 SP6 kernel-default 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP6 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP6-RT_Update_16 0 1-150600.1.3.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP6 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP6_Update_16 0 1-150600.13.3.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP7 kernel-default 0 6.4.0-150700.53.22.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP7 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP7_Update_6 0 1-150700.15.3.1
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 Module for Basesystem 15 SP6 kernel-64kb 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP6 kernel-default 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP6 kernel-default-base 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1.150600.12.32.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP6 kernel-source 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP6 kernel-zfcpdump 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 kernel-64kb 0 6.4.0-150700.53.22.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 kernel-default 0 6.4.0-150700.53.22.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 kernel-default-base 0 6.4.0-150700.53.22.1.150700.17.15.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 kernel-source 0 6.4.0-150700.53.22.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 kernel-zfcpdump 0 6.4.0-150700.53.22.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP6 kernel-docs 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP6 kernel-obs-build 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP6 kernel-source 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP6 kernel-syms 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP7 kernel-docs 0 6.4.0-150700.53.22.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP7 kernel-obs-build 0 6.4.0-150700.53.22.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP7 kernel-source 0 6.4.0-150700.53.22.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP7 kernel-syms 0 6.4.0-150700.53.22.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Legacy 15 SP6 kernel-default 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Legacy 15 SP7 kernel-default 0 6.4.0-150700.53.22.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Public Cloud 15 SP6 kernel-azure 0 6.4.0-150600.8.52.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Public Cloud 15 SP6 kernel-source-azure 0 6.4.0-150600.8.52.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Public Cloud 15 SP6 kernel-syms-azure 0 6.4.0-150600.8.52.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Public Cloud 15 SP7 kernel-azure 0 6.4.0-150700.20.18.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Public Cloud 15 SP7 kernel-source-azure 0 6.4.0-150700.20.18.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Public Cloud 15 SP7 kernel-syms-azure 0 6.4.0-150700.20.18.1
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 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:Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP6 kernel-default 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP7 kernel-default 0 6.4.0-150700.53.22.1
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
SUSE:Real Time Module 15 SP6 kernel-rt 0 6.4.0-150600.10.55.1
SUSE:Real Time Module 15 SP6 kernel-rt_debug 0 6.4.0-150600.10.55.1
SUSE:Real Time Module 15 SP6 kernel-source-rt 0 6.4.0-150600.10.55.1
SUSE:Real Time Module 15 SP6 kernel-syms-rt 0 6.4.0-150600.10.55.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 dtb-aarch64 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-64kb 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-azure 0 6.4.0-150600.8.52.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-debug 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-default 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-default-base 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1.150600.12.32.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-docs 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-kvmsmall 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-obs-build 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-obs-qa 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-rt 0 6.4.0-150600.10.55.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-rt_debug 0 6.4.0-150600.10.55.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-source 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-source-azure 0 6.4.0-150600.8.52.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-source-rt 0 6.4.0-150600.10.55.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-syms 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-syms-azure 0 6.4.0-150600.8.52.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-syms-rt 0 6.4.0-150600.10.55.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-zfcpdump 0 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1

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