# CVE-2023-53624: net/sched: sch_fq: fix integer overflow of "credit"

> An integer overflow in the Linux kernel's FQ scheduler can cause a CPU soft-lockup if the initial quantum is configured excessively high.

- **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:** 7 Oct 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-53624, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53624, GHSA-xhfr-4q2x-5mx4, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53624

## What is CVE-2023-53624?

CVE-2023-53624 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 7 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:

net/sched: sch_fq: fix integer overflow of "credit"

if sch_fq is configured with "initial quantum" having values greater than
INT_MAX, the first assignment of "credit" does signed integer overflow to
a very negative value.
In this situation, the syzkaller script provided by Cristoph triggers the
CPU soft-lockup warning even with few sockets. It's not an infinite loop,
but "credit" wasn't probably meant to be minus 2Gb for each new flow.
Capping "initial quantum" to INT_MAX proved to fix the issue.

v2: validation of "initial quantum" is done in fq_policy, instead of open
    coding in fq_change() _ suggested by Jakub Kicinski

Weakness: CWE-190 (Integer Overflow or Wraparound)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53624?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-53624?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-53624 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53624 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-2023-53624 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-53624 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 7 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-2023-53624 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-2023-53624/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53624/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53624
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53624
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-53624

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53624/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.