# CVE-2023-53503: ext4: allow ext4_get_group_info() to fail

> A local attacker with block device write access can trigger a kernel crash in ext4 by corrupting the superblock, causing a denial of service.

- **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:** 1 Oct 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-53503, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53503, GHSA-794g-3p8m-5jpc, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53503

## What is CVE-2023-53503?

CVE-2023-53503 is a medium-severity 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:

ext4: allow ext4_get_group_info() to fail

Previously, ext4_get_group_info() would treat an invalid group number
as BUG(), since in theory it should never happen.  However, if a
malicious attaker (or fuzzer) modifies the superblock via the block
device while it is the file system is mounted, it is possible for
s_first_data_block to get set to a very large number.  In that case,
when calculating the block group of some block number (such as the
starting block of a preallocation region), could result in an
underflow and very large block group number.  Then the BUG_ON check in
ext4_get_group_info() would fire, resutling in a denial of service
attack that can be triggered by root or someone with write access to
the block device.

For a quality of implementation perspective, it's best that even if
the system administrator does something that they shouldn't, that it
will not trigger a BUG.  So instead of BUG'ing, ext4_get_group_info()
will call ext4_error and return NULL.  We also add fallback code in
all of the callers of ext4_get_group_info() that it might NULL.

Also, since ext4_get_group_info() was already borderline to be an
inline function, un-inline it.  The results in a next reduction of the
compiled text size of ext4 by roughly 2k.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53503?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-53503?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-53503 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53503 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-2023-53503 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-53503 is a medium-severity 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-2023-53503 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-2023-53503/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53503/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53503
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53503
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-53503

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53503/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.