# CVE-2023-53088: mptcp: fix UaF in listener shutdown

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's MPTCP listener shutdown path allows local attackers to potentially execute code or escalate privileges.

- **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:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-53088, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53088, GHSA-xcmr-v73h-8g32, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53088

## What is CVE-2023-53088?

CVE-2023-53088 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:

mptcp: fix UaF in listener shutdown

As reported by Christoph after having refactored the passive
socket initialization, the mptcp listener shutdown path is prone
to an UaF issue.

  BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in _raw_spin_lock_bh+0x73/0xe0
  Write of size 4 at addr ffff88810cb23098 by task syz-executor731/1266

  CPU: 1 PID: 1266 Comm: syz-executor731 Not tainted 6.2.0-rc59af4eaa31c1f6c00c8f1e448ed99a45c66340dd5 #6
  Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.13.0-0-gf21b5a4aeb02-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014
  Call Trace:
   <TASK>
   dump_stack_lvl+0x6e/0x91
   print_report+0x16a/0x46f
   kasan_report+0xad/0x130
   kasan_check_range+0x14a/0x1a0
   _raw_spin_lock_bh+0x73/0xe0
   subflow_error_report+0x6d/0x110
   sk_error_report+0x3b/0x190
   tcp_disconnect+0x138c/0x1aa0
   inet_child_forget+0x6f/0x2e0
   inet_csk_listen_stop+0x209/0x1060
   __mptcp_close_ssk+0x52d/0x610
   mptcp_destroy_common+0x165/0x640
   mptcp_destroy+0x13/0x80
   __mptcp_destroy_sock+0xe7/0x270
   __mptcp_close+0x70e/0x9b0
   mptcp_close+0x2b/0x150
   inet_release+0xe9/0x1f0
   __sock_release+0xd2/0x280
   sock_close+0x15/0x20
   __fput+0x252/0xa20
   task_work_run+0x169/0x250
   exit_to_user_mode_prepare+0x113/0x120
   syscall_exit_to_user_mode+0x1d/0x40
   do_syscall_64+0x48/0x90
   entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x72/0xdc

The msk grace period can legitly expire in between the last
reference count dropped in mptcp_subflow_queue_clean() and
the later eventual access in inet_csk_listen_stop()

After the previous patch we don't need anymore special-casing
msk listener socket cleanup: the mptcp worker will process each
of the unaccepted msk sockets.

Just drop the now unnecessary code.

Please note this commit depends on the two parent ones:

  mptcp: refactor passive socket initialization
  mptcp: use the workqueue to destroy unaccepted sockets

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53088?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-53088?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-53088 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53088 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-2023-53088 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-53088 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-2023-53088 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-2023-53088/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53088/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53088
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53088
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-53088

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53088/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.