# CVE-2023-53046: Bluetooth: Fix race condition in hci_cmd_sync_clear

> A race condition in the Linux kernel Bluetooth subsystem allows a use-after-free, potentially causing a kernel panic or arbitrary code execution.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:** 2 May 2025
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-53046, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53046, GHSA-wwhx-f3wh-2v8p, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53046

## What is CVE-2023-53046?

CVE-2023-53046 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 2 May 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 race condition in hci_cmd_sync_clear

There is a potential race condition in hci_cmd_sync_work and
hci_cmd_sync_clear, and could lead to use-after-free. For instance,
hci_cmd_sync_work is added to the 'req_workqueue' after cancel_work_sync
The entry of 'cmd_sync_work_list' may be freed in hci_cmd_sync_clear, and
causing kernel panic when it is used in 'hci_cmd_sync_work'.

Here's the call trace:

dump_stack_lvl+0x49/0x63
print_report.cold+0x5e/0x5d3
? hci_cmd_sync_work+0x282/0x320
kasan_report+0xaa/0x120
? hci_cmd_sync_work+0x282/0x320
__asan_report_load8_noabort+0x14/0x20
hci_cmd_sync_work+0x282/0x320
process_one_work+0x77b/0x11c0
? _raw_spin_lock_irq+0x8e/0xf0
worker_thread+0x544/0x1180
? poll_idle+0x1e0/0x1e0
kthread+0x285/0x320
? process_one_work+0x11c0/0x11c0
? kthread_complete_and_exit+0x30/0x30
ret_from_fork+0x22/0x30
</TASK>

Allocated by task 266:
kasan_save_stack+0x26/0x50
__kasan_kmalloc+0xae/0xe0
kmem_cache_alloc_trace+0x191/0x350
hci_cmd_sync_queue+0x97/0x2b0
hci_update_passive_scan+0x176/0x1d0
le_conn_complete_evt+0x1b5/0x1a00
hci_le_conn_complete_evt+0x234/0x340
hci_le_meta_evt+0x231/0x4e0
hci_event_packet+0x4c5/0xf00
hci_rx_work+0x37d/0x880
process_one_work+0x77b/0x11c0
worker_thread+0x544/0x1180
kthread+0x285/0x320
ret_from_fork+0x22/0x30

Freed by task 269:
kasan_save_stack+0x26/0x50
kasan_set_track+0x25/0x40
kasan_set_free_info+0x24/0x40
____kasan_slab_free+0x176/0x1c0
__kasan_slab_free+0x12/0x20
slab_free_freelist_hook+0x95/0x1a0
kfree+0xba/0x2f0
hci_cmd_sync_clear+0x14c/0x210
hci_unregister_dev+0xff/0x440
vhci_release+0x7b/0xf0
__fput+0x1f3/0x970
____fput+0xe/0x20
task_work_run+0xd4/0x160
do_exit+0x8b0/0x22a0
do_group_exit+0xba/0x2a0
get_signal+0x1e4a/0x25b0
arch_do_signal_or_restart+0x93/0x1f80
exit_to_user_mode_prepare+0xf5/0x1a0
syscall_exit_to_user_mode+0x26/0x50
ret_from_fork+0x15/0x30

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53046?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-53046?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-53046 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53046 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-2023-53046 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-53046 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 2 May 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-2023-53046 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-2023-53046/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53046/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53046
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53046
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-53046

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53046/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.