# CVE-2023-53241: nfsd: call op_release, even when op_func returns an error

> A memory leak in the Linux kernel NFS server can lead to denial of service when errors occur during layoutget operations.

- **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-2023-53241, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53241, GHSA-8mj9-585g-24hv, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53241

## What is CVE-2023-53241?

CVE-2023-53241 is a medium-severity memory corruption 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:

nfsd: call op_release, even when op_func returns an error

For ops with "trivial" replies, nfsd4_encode_operation will shortcut
most of the encoding work and skip to just marshalling up the status.
One of the things it skips is calling op_release. This could cause a
memory leak in the layoutget codepath if there is an error at an
inopportune time.

Have the compound processing engine always call op_release, even when
op_func sets an error in op->status. With this change, we also need
nfsd4_block_get_device_info_scsi to set the gd_device pointer to NULL
on error to avoid a double free.

Weakness: CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53241?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-53241?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-53241 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53241 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-2023-53241 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-53241 is a medium-severity memory corruption 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-2023-53241 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-2023-53241/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53241/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53241
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53241
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-53241

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53241/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.