# CVE-2023-54118: serial: sc16is7xx: setup GPIO controller later in probe

> A race condition in the sc16is7xx serial driver can cause a kernel Oops, leading to 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:** 24 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-54118, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-54118, GHSA-c243-ghfx-233w, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-54118

## What is CVE-2023-54118?

CVE-2023-54118 is a 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:

serial: sc16is7xx: setup GPIO controller later in probe

The GPIO controller component of the sc16is7xx driver is setup too
early, which can result in a race condition where another device tries
to utilise the GPIO lines before the sc16is7xx device has finished
initialising.

This issue manifests itself as an Oops when the GPIO lines are configured:

    Unable to handle kernel read from unreadable memory at virtual address
    ...
    pc : sc16is7xx_gpio_direction_output+0x68/0x108 [sc16is7xx]
    lr : sc16is7xx_gpio_direction_output+0x4c/0x108 [sc16is7xx]
    ...
    Call trace:
    sc16is7xx_gpio_direction_output+0x68/0x108 [sc16is7xx]
    gpiod_direction_output_raw_commit+0x64/0x318
    gpiod_direction_output+0xb0/0x170
    create_gpio_led+0xec/0x198
    gpio_led_probe+0x16c/0x4f0
    platform_drv_probe+0x5c/0xb0
    really_probe+0xe8/0x448
    driver_probe_device+0xe8/0x138
    __device_attach_driver+0x94/0x118
    bus_for_each_drv+0x8c/0xe0
    __device_attach+0x100/0x1b8
    device_initial_probe+0x28/0x38
    bus_probe_device+0xa4/0xb0
    deferred_probe_work_func+0x90/0xe0
    process_one_work+0x1c4/0x480
    worker_thread+0x54/0x430
    kthread+0x138/0x150
    ret_from_fork+0x10/0x1c

This patch moves the setup of the GPIO controller functions to later in the
probe function, ensuring the sc16is7xx device has already finished
initialising by the time other devices try to make use of the GPIO lines.
The error handling has also been reordered to reflect the new
initialisation order.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-54118?


## How do I fix CVE-2023-54118?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-54118 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-54118 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-54118 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-54118 is a 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-2023-54118 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-2023-54118/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-54118/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-54118
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-54118
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-54118

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-54118/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.