# CVE-2023-53394: net/mlx5e: xsk: Fix crash on regular rq reactivation

> A flaw in the Linux kernel mlx5e driver causes a crash when reactivating a regular receive queue after closing an XSK socket, leading to 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:** 18 Sep 2025
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-53394, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53394, GHSA-x6jv-3w92-hqpc, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2023-53394, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53394

## What is CVE-2023-53394?

CVE-2023-53394 is a high-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:

net/mlx5e: xsk: Fix crash on regular rq reactivation

When the regular rq is reactivated after the XSK socket is closed
it could be reading stale cqes which eventually corrupts the rq.
This leads to no more traffic being received on the regular rq and a
crash on the next close or deactivation of the rq.

Kal Cuttler Conely reported this issue as a crash on the release
path when the xdpsock sample program is stopped (killed) and restarted
in sequence while traffic is running.

This patch flushes all cqes when during the rq flush. The cqe flushing
is done in the reset state of the rq. mlx5e_rq_to_ready code is moved
into the flush function to allow for this.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53394?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-53394?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-53394 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53394 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-2023-53394 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-53394 is a high-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-2023-53394 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-2023-53394/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53394/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53394
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53394
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-53394

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53394/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.