CVE-2023-53189

About vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ipv6/addrconf: fix a potential refcount underflow for idev

Now in addrconf_mod_rs_timer(), reference idev depends on whether rs_timer is not pending. Then modify rs_timer timeout.

There is a time gap in [1], during which if the pending rs_timer becomes not pending. It will miss to hold idev, but the rs_timer is activated. Thus rs_timer callback function addrconf_rs_timer() will be executed and put idev later without holding idev. A refcount underflow issue for idev can be caused by this.

if (!timer_pending(&idev->rs_timer)) in6_dev_hold(idev); <————–[1] mod_timer(&idev->rs_timer, jiffies + when);

To fix the issue, hold idev if mod_timer() return 0.

Affected product:

AlmaLinux 9.2 ESU , CentOS 8.4 ELS , CentOS 8.5 ELS , CentOS Stream 8 ELS , Oracle Linux 7 ELS , TuxCare 9.6 ESU , Ubuntu 16.04 ELS , Ubuntu 18.04 ELS , Ubuntu 20.04 ELS

Affected packages:

linux-hwe @ 4.15.0 (+9 more)

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ipv6/addrconf: fix a potential refcount underflow for idev

Now in addrconf_mod_rs_timer(), reference idev depends on whether rs_timer is not pending. Then modify rs_timer timeout.

There is a time gap in [1], during which if the pending rs_timer becomes not pending. It will miss to hold idev, but the rs_timer is activated. Thus rs_timer callback function addrconf_rs_timer() will be executed and put idev later without holding idev. A refcount underflow issue for idev can be caused by this.

if (!timer_pending(&idev->rs_timer)) in6_dev_hold(idev); <————–[1] mod_timer(&idev->rs_timer, jiffies + when);

To fix the issue, hold idev if mod_timer() return 0.