CVE-2023-54155
NoneCVSS
—
EPSS
0.2%
Published
Dec 24, 2025
CISA due date
—
Cloudanix analysis
A Linux kernel network processing check that could generate unnecessary warnings on certain packet operations has been removed because newer memory handling made it obsolete.
- Exploitation
- Local Privilege
- Attacker needs
- Local User
- Complexity
- Low
- Impact
- Denial Of Service
- Component
- OS kernel
- Class
- Improper Input Validation
- Remediation
- Upgrade
- Effort
- Medium
- Patch risk
- Low
What it actually does
Removes an outdated xdp->frame_sz > PAGE_SIZE check in bpf_xdp_adjust_tail that triggered warnings on valid higher-order contiguous page allocations used by XDP paths in tun devices after xdp_init_buff adoption.
Why it matters to the business
Eliminates spurious kernel warnings during XDP packet processing on affected Linux systems, reducing log noise and operational overhead in networking and virtualization workloads; low urgency given absence from KEV and stable low EPSS.
How an attack unfolds
An attacker supplies crafted data via a tun character device write that exercises tun_get_user and the XDP receive path, causing bpf_xdp_adjust_tail to be invoked with a frame size exceeding PAGE_SIZE and generating the warning; the condition is no longer a real constraint.
How to fix it
Update the Linux kernel to a version containing commit a09c258cfa77d3ba0a7acc555c73eb6b005c4bd8; rebuild and deploy any custom kernels or distributions that incorporate this fix.
How to confirm the fix worked
Confirm absence of the frame_sz check at net/core/filter.c around line 4121 in bpf_xdp_adjust_tail and test with the original syzkaller reproducer to ensure no warning is emitted.
Typical attack path
- Open or create a tun interface
- Write user data that triggers tun_build_skb or tun_alloc_skb with XDP enabled
- Invoke generic XDP processing leading to bpf_xdp_adjust_tail
- Trigger the now-removed frame_sz check and warning
How to detect it
Search kernel logs and dmesg for warnings referencing bpf_xdp_adjust_tail and frame_sz values; examine tun device write paths and XDP generic receive functions for evidence of the condition being hit prior to the fix.
- Too BIG xdp->frame_sz = 131072
- WARNING: CPU:.*at net/core/filter.c:4121
- bpf_xdp_adjust_tail+0x466/0xa10
What your security team should do
- Prioritize kernel updates for systems using XDP with tun or similar drivers
- Review XDP frame allocation code paths for higher-order page usage
- Monitor kernel logs for similar size-related warnings until patched
The record
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: core: remove unnecessary frame_sz check in bpf_xdp_adjust_tail() Syzkaller reported the following issue: ======================================= Too BIG xdp->frame_sz = 131072 WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 5020 at net/core/filter.c:4121 ____bpf_xdp_adjust_tail net/core/filter.c:4121 [inline] WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 5020 at net/core/filter.c:4121 bpf_xdp_adjust_tail+0x466/0xa10 net/core/filter.c:4103 ... Call Trace: <TASK> bpf_prog_4add87e5301a4105+0x1a/0x1c __bpf_prog_run include/linux/filter.h:600 [inline] bpf_prog_run_xdp include/linux/filter.h:775 [inline] bpf_prog_run_generic_xdp+0x57e/0x11e0 net/core/dev.c:4721 netif_receive_generic_xdp net/core/dev.c:4807 [inline] do_xdp_generic+0x35c/0x770 net/core/dev.c:4866 tun_get_user+0x2340/0x3ca0 drivers/net/tun.c:1919 tun_chr_write_iter+0xe8/0x210 drivers/net/tun.c:2043 call_write_iter include/linux/fs.h:1871 [inline] new_sync_write fs/read_write.c:491 [inline] vfs_write+0x650/0xe40 fs/read_write.c:584 ksys_write+0x12f/0x250 fs/read_write.c:637 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:50 [inline] do_syscall_64+0x38/0xb0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:80 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd xdp->frame_sz > PAGE_SIZE check was introduced in commit c8741e2bfe87 ("xdp: Allow bpf_xdp_adjust_tail() to grow packet size"). But Jesper Dangaard Brouer <jbrouer@redhat.com> noted that after introducing the xdp_init_buff() which all XDP driver use - it's safe to remove this check. The original intend was to catch cases where XDP drivers have not been updated to use xdp.frame_sz, but that is not longer a concern (since xdp_init_buff). Running the initial syzkaller repro it was discovered that the contiguous physical memory allocation is used for both xdp paths in tun_get_user(), e.g. tun_build_skb() and tun_alloc_skb(). It was also stated by Jesper Dangaard Brouer <jbrouer@redhat.com> that XDP can work on higher order pages, as long as this is contiguous physical memory (e.g. a page).
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Introduced | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Kernel | 5.12.0 | 5.15.127 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP6 | kernel-default | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP6 | kernel-default | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP6 | kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP6_Update_19 | 0 | 1-150600.13.3.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6-LTSS | kernel-64kb | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6-LTSS | kernel-default | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6-LTSS | kernel-default-base | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1.150600.12.38.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6-LTSS | kernel-docs | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6-LTSS | kernel-obs-build | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6-LTSS | kernel-source | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6-LTSS | kernel-syms | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6-LTSS | kernel-zfcpdump | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | kernel-default | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | kernel-default-base | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1.150600.12.38.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | kernel-docs | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | kernel-obs-build | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | kernel-source | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | kernel-syms | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.6 | dtb-aarch64 | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.6 | kernel-64kb | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.6 | kernel-debug | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.6 | kernel-default | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.6 | kernel-default-base | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1.150600.12.38.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.6 | kernel-docs | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.6 | kernel-kvmsmall | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.6 | kernel-obs-build | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.6 | kernel-obs-qa | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.6 | kernel-source | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.6 | kernel-syms | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.6 | kernel-zfcpdump | 0 | 6.4.0-150600.23.84.1 |
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