# CVE-2023-53016: Bluetooth: Fix possible deadlock in rfcomm_sk_state_change

> A race condition in the Linux kernel Bluetooth subsystem can cause a deadlock, leading to a denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/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:** 27 Mar 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-53016, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53016, GHSA-7rcp-78xx-6fqm, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53016

## What is CVE-2023-53016?

CVE-2023-53016 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 Mar 2025. 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:

Bluetooth: Fix possible deadlock in rfcomm_sk_state_change

syzbot reports a possible deadlock in rfcomm_sk_state_change [1].
While rfcomm_sock_connect acquires the sk lock and waits for
the rfcomm lock, rfcomm_sock_release could have the rfcomm
lock and hit a deadlock for acquiring the sk lock.
Here's a simplified flow:

rfcomm_sock_connect:
  lock_sock(sk)
  rfcomm_dlc_open:
    rfcomm_lock()

rfcomm_sock_release:
  rfcomm_sock_shutdown:
    rfcomm_lock()
    __rfcomm_dlc_close:
        rfcomm_k_state_change:
	  lock_sock(sk)

This patch drops the sk lock before calling rfcomm_dlc_open to
avoid the possible deadlock and holds sk's reference count to
prevent use-after-free after rfcomm_dlc_open completes.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free), CWE-667 (Improper Locking)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53016?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-53016?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-53016 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53016 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-2023-53016 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-53016 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 Mar 2025. 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-2023-53016 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-2023-53016/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53016/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53016
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53016
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-53016

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53016/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.