# CVE-2023-54159: usb: mtu3: fix kernel panic at qmu transfer done irq handler

> A race condition in the Linux kernel mtu3 USB driver can cause a kernel panic via null pointer dereference, 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-2023-54159, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-54159, GHSA-mgqh-xx5m-2h5f, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-54159

## What is CVE-2023-54159?

CVE-2023-54159 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:

usb: mtu3: fix kernel panic at qmu transfer done irq handler

When handle qmu transfer irq, it will unlock @mtu->lock before give back
request, if another thread handle disconnect event at the same time, and
try to disable ep, it may lock @mtu->lock and free qmu ring, then qmu
irq hanlder may get a NULL gpd, avoid the KE by checking gpd's value before
handling it.

e.g.
qmu done irq on cpu0                 thread running on cpu1

qmu_done_tx()
  handle gpd [0]
    mtu3_requ_complete()        mtu3_gadget_ep_disable()
      unlock @mtu->lock
        give back request         lock @mtu->lock
                                    mtu3_ep_disable()
                                      mtu3_gpd_ring_free()
                                   unlock @mtu->lock
      lock @mtu->lock
    get next gpd [1]

[1]: goto [0] to handle next gpd, and next gpd may be NULL.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-54159?


## How do I fix CVE-2023-54159?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-54159 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-54159 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-54159 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-54159 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-2023-54159 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-2023-54159/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-54159/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-54159
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-54159
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-54159

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-54159/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.