# CVE-2023-53525: RDMA/cma: Allow UD qp_type to join multicast only

> A local attacker can trigger an uninitialized memory read in the Linux kernel RDMA multicast handling, potentially disclosing sensitive kernel memory.

- **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:** 23 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-53525, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53525, GHSA-9px7-88w4-86hp, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53525

## What is CVE-2023-53525?

CVE-2023-53525 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:

RDMA/cma: Allow UD qp_type to join multicast only

As for multicast:
- The SIDR is the only mode that makes sense;
- Besides PS_UDP, other port spaces like PS_IB is also allowed, as it is
  UD compatible. In this case qkey also needs to be set [1].

This patch allows only UD qp_type to join multicast, and set qkey to
default if it's not set, to fix an uninit-value error: the ib->rec.qkey
field is accessed without being initialized.

=====================================================
BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in cma_set_qkey drivers/infiniband/core/cma.c:510 [inline]
BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in cma_make_mc_event+0xb73/0xe00 drivers/infiniband/core/cma.c:4570
 cma_set_qkey drivers/infiniband/core/cma.c:510 [inline]
 cma_make_mc_event+0xb73/0xe00 drivers/infiniband/core/cma.c:4570
 cma_iboe_join_multicast drivers/infiniband/core/cma.c:4782 [inline]
 rdma_join_multicast+0x2b83/0x30a0 drivers/infiniband/core/cma.c:4814
 ucma_process_join+0xa76/0xf60 drivers/infiniband/core/ucma.c:1479
 ucma_join_multicast+0x1e3/0x250 drivers/infiniband/core/ucma.c:1546
 ucma_write+0x639/0x6d0 drivers/infiniband/core/ucma.c:1732
 vfs_write+0x8ce/0x2030 fs/read_write.c:588
 ksys_write+0x28c/0x520 fs/read_write.c:643
 __do_sys_write fs/read_write.c:655 [inline]
 __se_sys_write fs/read_write.c:652 [inline]
 __ia32_sys_write+0xdb/0x120 fs/read_write.c:652
 do_syscall_32_irqs_on arch/x86/entry/common.c:114 [inline]
 __do_fast_syscall_32+0x96/0xf0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:180
 do_fast_syscall_32+0x34/0x70 arch/x86/entry/common.c:205
 do_SYSENTER_32+0x1b/0x20 arch/x86/entry/common.c:248
 entry_SYSENTER_compat_after_hwframe+0x4d/0x5c

Local variable ib.i created at:
cma_iboe_join_multicast drivers/infiniband/core/cma.c:4737 [inline]
rdma_join_multicast+0x586/0x30a0 drivers/infiniband/core/cma.c:4814
ucma_process_join+0xa76/0xf60 drivers/infiniband/core/ucma.c:1479

CPU: 0 PID: 29874 Comm: syz-executor.3 Not tainted 5.16.0-rc3-syzkaller #0
Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 01/01/2011
=====================================================

[1] https://lore.kernel.org/linux-rdma/20220117183832.GD84788@nvidia.com/

Weakness: CWE-908 (Use of Uninitialized Resource)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53525?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-53525?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-53525 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53525 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-2023-53525 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-53525 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-2023-53525 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-2023-53525/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53525/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53525
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53525
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-53525

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53525/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.