# CVE-2023-54289: scsi: qedf: Fix NULL dereference in error handling

> A NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel qedf driver allows local attackers to cause a system crash via error handling paths.

- **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:** 30 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-54289, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-54289, GHSA-qw59-8j4j-9xwf, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-54289

## What is CVE-2023-54289?

CVE-2023-54289 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 30 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:

scsi: qedf: Fix NULL dereference in error handling

Smatch reported:

drivers/scsi/qedf/qedf_main.c:3056 qedf_alloc_global_queues()
warn: missing unwind goto?

At this point in the function, nothing has been allocated so we can return
directly. In particular the "qedf->global_queues" have not been allocated
so calling qedf_free_global_queues() will lead to a NULL dereference when
we check if (!gl[i]) and "gl" is NULL.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-54289?


## How do I fix CVE-2023-54289?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-54289 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-54289 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-54289 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-54289 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 30 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-2023-54289 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-2023-54289/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-54289/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-54289
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-54289
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-54289

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-54289/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.