# CVE-2023-52740: powerpc/64s/interrupt: Fix interrupt exit race with security mitigation switch

> A race condition in the Linux kernel powerpc interrupt exit code can corrupt MSR state, leading to system crashes and denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 21 May 2024
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-52740, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-52740, GHSA-qgwv-qgmf-mmf4, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-52740

## What is CVE-2023-52740?

CVE-2023-52740 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 21 May 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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

powerpc/64s/interrupt: Fix interrupt exit race with security mitigation switch

The RFI and STF security mitigation options can flip the
interrupt_exit_not_reentrant static branch condition concurrently with
the interrupt exit code which tests that branch.

Interrupt exit tests this condition to set MSR[EE|RI] for exit, then
again in the case a soft-masked interrupt is found pending, to recover
the MSR so the interrupt can be replayed before attempting to exit
again. If the condition changes between these two tests, the MSR and irq
soft-mask state will become corrupted, leading to warnings and possible
crashes. For example, if the branch is initially true then false,
MSR[EE] will be 0 but PACA_IRQ_HARD_DIS clear and EE may not get
enabled, leading to warnings in irq_64.c.

Weakness: CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-52740?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-52740?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-52740 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-52740 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-52740 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-52740 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 21 May 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-52740 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-52740/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-52740/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-52740
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-52740
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-52740

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-52740/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.