# CVE-2023-53380: md/raid10: fix null-ptr-deref of mreplace in raid10_sync_request

> A null pointer dereference in the Linux kernel's RAID10 driver can cause a system crash, requiring a kernel patch to resolve.

- **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:** 18 Sep 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-53380, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53380, GHSA-9g3f-fgm8-4cgm, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53380

## What is CVE-2023-53380?

CVE-2023-53380 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 18 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/raid10: fix null-ptr-deref of mreplace in raid10_sync_request

There are two check of 'mreplace' in raid10_sync_request(). In the first
check, 'need_replace' will be set and 'mreplace' will be used later if
no-Faulty 'mreplace' exists, In the second check, 'mreplace' will be
set to NULL if it is Faulty, but 'need_replace' will not be changed
accordingly. null-ptr-deref occurs if Faulty is set between two check.

Fix it by merging two checks into one. And replace 'need_replace' with
'mreplace' because their values are always the same.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53380?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-53380?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-53380 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53380 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-2023-53380 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-53380 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 18 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-2023-53380 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-2023-53380/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53380/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53380
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53380
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-53380

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53380/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.