# CVE-2023-54152: can: j1939: prevent deadlock by moving j1939_sk_errqueue()

> A race condition in the Linux kernel CAN J1939 protocol can cause a deadlock, 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-2023-54152, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-54152, GHSA-hxpg-6jhj-qw4q, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-54152

## What is CVE-2023-54152?

CVE-2023-54152 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:

can: j1939: prevent deadlock by moving j1939_sk_errqueue()

This commit addresses a deadlock situation that can occur in certain
scenarios, such as when running data TP/ETP transfer and subscribing to
the error queue while receiving a net down event. The deadlock involves
locks in the following order:

3
  j1939_session_list_lock ->  active_session_list_lock
  j1939_session_activate
  ...
  j1939_sk_queue_activate_next -> sk_session_queue_lock
  ...
  j1939_xtp_rx_eoma_one

2
  j1939_sk_queue_drop_all  ->  sk_session_queue_lock
  ...
  j1939_sk_netdev_event_netdown -> j1939_socks_lock
  j1939_netdev_notify

1
  j1939_sk_errqueue -> j1939_socks_lock
  __j1939_session_cancel -> active_session_list_lock
  j1939_tp_rxtimer

       CPU0                    CPU1
       ----                    ----
  lock(&priv->active_session_list_lock);
                               lock(&jsk->sk_session_queue_lock);
                               lock(&priv->active_session_list_lock);
  lock(&priv->j1939_socks_lock);

The solution implemented in this commit is to move the
j1939_sk_errqueue() call out of the active_session_list_lock context,
thus preventing the deadlock situation.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-54152?


## How do I fix CVE-2023-54152?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-54152 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-54152 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-54152 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-54152 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-2023-54152 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-2023-54152/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-54152/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-54152
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-54152
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-54152

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-54152/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.