CVE-2023-53681 bcache: Fix __bch_btree_node_alloc to make the failure behavior consistent

What is CVE-2023-53681?

CVE-2023-53681 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:

bcache: Fix __bch_btree_node_alloc to make the failure behavior consistent

In some specific situations, the return value of __bch_btree_node_alloc may be NULL. This may lead to a potential NULL pointer dereference in caller function like a calling chain : btree_split->bch_btree_node_alloc->__bch_btree_node_alloc.

Fix it by initializing the return value in __bch_btree_node_alloc.

Weakness: CWE-476

Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53681?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2023-53681?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Is CVE-2023-53681 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53681 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

• CVE-2026-53266 Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2013-6282 Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2022-0185 Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2013-2094 Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2026-53362 Linux Kernel Unspecified Exploited High 7.8

All Linux kernel vulnerabilities

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as BELL-CVE-2023-53681, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53681, GHSA-7h48-rq2g-79x4, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2023-53681, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2023-53681, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53681.