# CVE-2023-53331: pstore/ram: Check start of empty przs during init

> A missing bounds check in the Linux kernel pstore/ram driver allows an out-of-bounds write during initialization, leading to a kernel panic and denial of service.

- **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:** 16 Sep 2025
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-53331, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53331, GHSA-v4w9-9vv8-m7qj, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53331

## What is CVE-2023-53331?

CVE-2023-53331 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 16 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:

pstore/ram: Check start of empty przs during init

After commit 30696378f68a ("pstore/ram: Do not treat empty buffers as
valid"), initialization would assume a prz was valid after seeing that
the buffer_size is zero (regardless of the buffer start position). This
unchecked start value means it could be outside the bounds of the buffer,
leading to future access panics when written to:

 sysdump_panic_event+0x3b4/0x5b8
 atomic_notifier_call_chain+0x54/0x90
 panic+0x1c8/0x42c
 die+0x29c/0x2a8
 die_kernel_fault+0x68/0x78
 __do_kernel_fault+0x1c4/0x1e0
 do_bad_area+0x40/0x100
 do_translation_fault+0x68/0x80
 do_mem_abort+0x68/0xf8
 el1_da+0x1c/0xc0
 __raw_writeb+0x38/0x174
 __memcpy_toio+0x40/0xac
 persistent_ram_update+0x44/0x12c
 persistent_ram_write+0x1a8/0x1b8
 ramoops_pstore_write+0x198/0x1e8
 pstore_console_write+0x94/0xe0
 ...

To avoid this, also check if the prz start is 0 during the initialization
phase. If not, the next prz sanity check case will discover it (start >
size) and zap the buffer back to a sane state.

[kees: update commit log with backtrace and clarifications]

Weakness: CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53331?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-53331?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-53331 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53331 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-2023-53331 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-53331 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 16 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-2023-53331 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-2023-53331/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53331/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53331
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53331
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-53331

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53331/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.