# CVE-2023-54035: netfilter: nf_tables: fix underflow in chain reference counter

> A double decrement of the chain reference counter in Linux kernel netfilter can cause an underflow, potentially leading to a denial of service.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:** 24 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-54035, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-54035, GHSA-pcf2-g46w-wp92, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2023-54035, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2023-54035, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-54035

## What is CVE-2023-54035?

CVE-2023-54035 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, published on 24 Dec 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:

netfilter: nf_tables: fix underflow in chain reference counter

Set element addition error path decrements reference counter on chains
twice: once on element release and again via nft_data_release().

Then, d6b478666ffa ("netfilter: nf_tables: fix underflow in object
reference counter") incorrectly fixed this by removing the stateful
object reference count decrement.

Restore the stateful object decrement as in b91d90368837 ("netfilter:
nf_tables: fix leaking object reference count") and let
nft_data_release() decrement the chain reference counter, so this is
done only once.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-54035?


## How do I fix CVE-2023-54035?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-54035 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-54035 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-54035 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-54035 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, published on 24 Dec 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-2023-54035 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-2023-54035/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-54035/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-54035
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-54035
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-54035

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-54035/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.