# CVE-2023-53210: md/raid5-cache: fix null-ptr-deref for r5l_flush_stripe_to_raid()

> A race condition in the Linux kernel's RAID5 cache can cause a null pointer dereference, leading to a system crash.

- **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:** 15 Sep 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-53210, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53210, GHSA-g3v4-29h4-3gxq, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53210

## What is CVE-2023-53210?

CVE-2023-53210 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 15 Sep 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:

md/raid5-cache: fix null-ptr-deref for r5l_flush_stripe_to_raid()

r5l_flush_stripe_to_raid() will check if the list 'flushing_ios' is
empty, and then submit 'flush_bio', however, r5l_log_flush_endio()
is clearing the list first and then clear the bio, which will cause
null-ptr-deref:

T1: submit flush io
raid5d
 handle_active_stripes
  r5l_flush_stripe_to_raid
   // list is empty
   // add 'io_end_ios' to the list
   bio_init
   submit_bio
   // io1

T2: io1 is done
r5l_log_flush_endio
 list_splice_tail_init
 // clear the list
			T3: submit new flush io
			...
			r5l_flush_stripe_to_raid
			 // list is empty
			 // add 'io_end_ios' to the list
			 bio_init
 bio_uninit
 // clear bio->bi_blkg
			 submit_bio
			 // null-ptr-deref

Fix this problem by clearing bio before clearing the list in
r5l_log_flush_endio().

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53210?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-53210?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-53210 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53210 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-2023-53210 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-53210 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 15 Sep 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-2023-53210 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-2023-53210/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53210/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53210
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53210
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-53210

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53210/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.