CVE-2023-53051 dm crypt: add cond_resched() to dmcrypt_write()
A missing scheduling call in the Linux kernel dm_crypt module can cause a CPU soft lockup, leading to a denial of service.
- 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
What is CVE-2023-53051?
CVE-2023-53051 is a medium-severity denial of service 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:
dm crypt: add cond_resched() to dmcrypt_write()
The loop in dmcrypt_write may be running for unbounded amount of time, thus we need cond_resched() in it.
This commit fixes the following warning:
[ 3391.153255][ C12] watchdog: BUG: soft lockup - CPU#12 stuck for 23s! [dmcrypt_write/2:2897] ... [ 3391.387210][ C12] Call trace: [ 3391.390338][ C12] blk_attempt_bio_merge.part.6+0x38/0x158 [ 3391.395970][ C12] blk_attempt_plug_merge+0xc0/0x1b0 [ 3391.401085][ C12] blk_mq_submit_bio+0x398/0x550 [ 3391.405856][ C12] submit_bio_noacct+0x308/0x380 [ 3391.410630][ C12] dmcrypt_write+0x1e4/0x208 [dm_crypt] [ 3391.416005][ C12] kthread+0x130/0x138 [ 3391.419911][ C12] ret_from_fork+0x10/0x18
Weakness: CWE-835
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53051?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2023-53051?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.
Is CVE-2023-53051 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53051 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2023-53051, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53051, GHSA-9j7f-hr5r-cm59, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53051.