# CVE-2023-53730: blk-iocost: use spin_lock_irqsave in adjust_inuse_and_calc_cost

> A race condition in the Linux kernel's blk-iocost module can cause a deadlock, leading to a denial of service.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 22 Oct 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-53730, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53730, GHSA-qcg4-xxf6-m8j4, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53730

## What is CVE-2023-53730?

CVE-2023-53730 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 22 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:

blk-iocost: use spin_lock_irqsave in adjust_inuse_and_calc_cost

adjust_inuse_and_calc_cost() use spin_lock_irq() and IRQ will be enabled
when unlock. DEADLOCK might happen if we have held other locks and disabled
IRQ before invoking it.

Fix it by using spin_lock_irqsave() instead, which can keep IRQ state
consistent with before when unlock.

  ================================
  WARNING: inconsistent lock state
  5.10.0-02758-g8e5f91fd772f #26 Not tainted
  --------------------------------
  inconsistent {IN-HARDIRQ-W} -> {HARDIRQ-ON-W} usage.
  kworker/2:3/388 [HC0[0]:SC0[0]:HE0:SE1] takes:
  ffff888118c00c28 (&bfqd->lock){?.-.}-{2:2}, at: spin_lock_irq
  ffff888118c00c28 (&bfqd->lock){?.-.}-{2:2}, at: bfq_bio_merge+0x141/0x390
  {IN-HARDIRQ-W} state was registered at:
    __lock_acquire+0x3d7/0x1070
    lock_acquire+0x197/0x4a0
    __raw_spin_lock_irqsave
    _raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0x3b/0x60
    bfq_idle_slice_timer_body
    bfq_idle_slice_timer+0x53/0x1d0
    __run_hrtimer+0x477/0xa70
    __hrtimer_run_queues+0x1c6/0x2d0
    hrtimer_interrupt+0x302/0x9e0
    local_apic_timer_interrupt
    __sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0xfd/0x420
    run_sysvec_on_irqstack_cond
    sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x46/0xa0
    asm_sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x12/0x20
  irq event stamp: 837522
  hardirqs last  enabled at (837521): [<ffffffff84b9419d>] __raw_spin_unlock_irqrestore
  hardirqs last  enabled at (837521): [<ffffffff84b9419d>] _raw_spin_unlock_irqrestore+0x3d/0x40
  hardirqs last disabled at (837522): [<ffffffff84b93fa3>] __raw_spin_lock_irq
  hardirqs last disabled at (837522): [<ffffffff84b93fa3>] _raw_spin_lock_irq+0x43/0x50
  softirqs last  enabled at (835852): [<ffffffff84e00558>] __do_softirq+0x558/0x8ec
  softirqs last disabled at (835845): [<ffffffff84c010ff>] asm_call_irq_on_stack+0xf/0x20

  other info that might help us debug this:
   Possible unsafe locking scenario:

         CPU0
         ----
    lock(&bfqd->lock);
    <Interrupt>
      lock(&bfqd->lock);

   *** DEADLOCK ***

  3 locks held by kworker/2:3/388:
   #0: ffff888107af0f38 ((wq_completion)kthrotld){+.+.}-{0:0}, at: process_one_work+0x742/0x13f0
   #1: ffff8881176bfdd8 ((work_completion)(&td->dispatch_work)){+.+.}-{0:0}, at: process_one_work+0x777/0x13f0
   #2: ffff888118c00c28 (&bfqd->lock){?.-.}-{2:2}, at: spin_lock_irq
   #2: ffff888118c00c28 (&bfqd->lock){?.-.}-{2:2}, at: bfq_bio_merge+0x141/0x390

  stack backtrace:
  CPU: 2 PID: 388 Comm: kworker/2:3 Not tainted 5.10.0-02758-g8e5f91fd772f #26
  Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.14.0-0-g155821a1990b-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014
  Workqueue: kthrotld blk_throtl_dispatch_work_fn
  Call Trace:
   __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:77 [inline]
   dump_stack+0x107/0x167
   print_usage_bug
   valid_state
   mark_lock_irq.cold+0x32/0x3a
   mark_lock+0x693/0xbc0
   mark_held_locks+0x9e/0xe0
   __trace_hardirqs_on_caller
   lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare.part.0+0x151/0x360
   trace_hardirqs_on+0x5b/0x180
   __raw_spin_unlock_irq
   _raw_spin_unlock_irq+0x24/0x40
   spin_unlock_irq
   adjust_inuse_and_calc_cost+0x4fb/0x970
   ioc_rqos_merge+0x277/0x740
   __rq_qos_merge+0x62/0xb0
   rq_qos_merge
   bio_attempt_back_merge+0x12c/0x4a0
   blk_mq_sched_try_merge+0x1b6/0x4d0
   bfq_bio_merge+0x24a/0x390
   __blk_mq_sched_bio_merge+0xa6/0x460
   blk_mq_sched_bio_merge
   blk_mq_submit_bio+0x2e7/0x1ee0
   __submit_bio_noacct_mq+0x175/0x3b0
   submit_bio_noacct+0x1fb/0x270
   blk_throtl_dispatch_work_fn+0x1ef/0x2b0
   process_one_work+0x83e/0x13f0
   process_scheduled_works
   worker_thread+0x7e3/0xd80
   kthread+0x353/0x470
   ret_from_fork+0x1f/0x30

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53730?


## How do I fix CVE-2023-53730?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-53730 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53730 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-53730 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-53730 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 22 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-2023-53730 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. 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-2023-53730/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53730/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53730
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53730
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-53730

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53730/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.
