# CVE-2023-53481: ubi: ubi_wl_put_peb: Fix infinite loop when wear-leveling work failed

> A flaw in the Linux kernel UBI subsystem causes an infinite loop during wear-leveling failures, leading to a 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:** 1 Oct 2025
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-53481, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53481, GHSA-3pv3-rmr2-25g2, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53481

## What is CVE-2023-53481?

CVE-2023-53481 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 Oct 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:

ubi: ubi_wl_put_peb: Fix infinite loop when wear-leveling work failed

Following process will trigger an infinite loop in ubi_wl_put_peb():

	ubifs_bgt		ubi_bgt
ubifs_leb_unmap
  ubi_leb_unmap
    ubi_eba_unmap_leb
      ubi_wl_put_peb	wear_leveling_worker
                          e1 = rb_entry(rb_first(&ubi->used)
			  e2 = get_peb_for_wl(ubi)
			  ubi_io_read_vid_hdr  // return err (flash fault)
			  out_error:
			    ubi->move_from = ubi->move_to = NULL
			    wl_entry_destroy(ubi, e1)
			      ubi->lookuptbl[e->pnum] = NULL
      retry:
        e = ubi->lookuptbl[pnum];	// return NULL
	if (e == ubi->move_from) {	// NULL == NULL gets true
	  goto retry;			// infinite loop !!!

$ top
  PID USER      PR  NI    VIRT    RES    SHR S  %CPU %MEM     COMMAND
  7676 root     20   0       0      0      0 R 100.0  0.0  ubifs_bgt0_0

Fix it by:
 1) Letting ubi_wl_put_peb() returns directly if wearl leveling entry has
    been removed from 'ubi->lookuptbl'.
 2) Using 'ubi->wl_lock' protecting wl entry deletion to preventing an
    use-after-free problem for wl entry in ubi_wl_put_peb().

Fetch a reproducer in [Link].

Weakness: CWE-835 (Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53481?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-53481?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-53481 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53481 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-2023-53481 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-53481 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 Oct 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-2023-53481 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-2023-53481/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53481/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53481
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53481
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-53481

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53481/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.