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Response snapshot Nov 5, 2026, 23:11 UTC

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VulnerabilityCVE-2023-53668

Linux kernel: ring-buffer: Fix deadloop issue on reading trace_pipe

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ring-buffer: Fix deadloop issue on reading trace_pipe Soft lockup occurs when reading file 'trace_pipe': watchdog: BUG: soft lockup - CPU#6 stuck for 22s! [cat:4488] [...]

At a glance

Exploited
Not known
Severity
7.1 High (CVSS 3.1)
Chance of exploitation
Not estimated
Sources
1 source

What to do

Check the vendor advisory for affected versions and fixes.

Read NVD CVE-2023-53668 (opens a new tab)

What happened

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ring-buffer: Fix deadloop issue on reading trace_pipe

Soft lockup occurs when reading file 'trace_pipe':

watchdog: BUG: soft lockup - CPU#6 stuck for 22s! [cat:4488] [...]

Continue reading

RIP: 0010:ring_buffer_empty_cpu+0xed/0x170 RSP: 0018:ffff88810dd6fc48 EFLAGS: 00000246 RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: 0000000000000246 RCX: ffffffff93d1aaeb RDX: ffff88810a280040 RSI: 0000000000000008 RDI: ffff88811164b218 RBP: ffff88811164b218 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: ffff88815156600f R10: ffffed102a2acc01 R11: 0000000000000001 R12: 0000000051651901 R13: 0000000000000000 R14: ffff888115e49500 R15: 0000000000000000 [...]

CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 00007f8d853c2000 CR3: 000000010dcd8000 CR4: 00000000000006e0 DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000 DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400 Call Trace: __find_next_entry+0x1a8/0x4b0 ? peek_next_entry+0x250/0x250 ? down_write+0xa5/0x120 ?

down_write_killable+0x130/0x130 trace_find_next_entry_inc+0x3b/0x1d0 tracing_read_pipe+0x423/0xae0 ? tracing_splice_read_pipe+0xcb0/0xcb0 vfs_read+0x16b/0x490 ksys_read+0x105/0x210 ? __ia32_sys_pwrite64+0x200/0x200 ? switch_fpu_return+0x108/0x220 do_syscall_64+0x33/0x40 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x61/0xc6

Through the vmcore, I found it's because in tracing_read_pipe(), ring_buffer_empty_cpu() found some buffer is not empty but then it cannot read anything due to "rb_num_of_entries() == 0" always true, Then it infinitely loop the procedure due to user buffer not been filled, see following code path:

tracing_read_pipe() { ... waitagain: tracing_wait_pipe() // 1. find non-empty buffer here trace_find_next_entry_inc() // 2. loop here try to find an entry __find_next_entry() ring_buffer_empty_cpu(); // 3. find non-empty buffer peek_next_entry() // 4. but peek always return NULL ring_buffer_peek() rb_buffer_peek() rb_get_reader_page() // 5.

because rb_num_of_entries() == 0 always true here // then return NULL // 6. user buffer not been filled so goto 'waitgain' // and eventually leads to an deadloop in kernel!!! }

By some analyzing, I found that when resetting ringbuffer, the 'entries' of its pages are not all cleared (see rb_reset_cpu()). Then when reducing the ringbuffer, and if some reduced pages exist dirty 'entries' data, they will be added into 'cpu_buffer->overrun' (see rb_remove_pages()), which cause wrong 'overrun' count and eventually cause the deadloop issue.

To fix it, we need to clear every pages in rb_reset_cpu().

Scores and how they were measured

CVSS base severity

7.1

Version 3.1As of

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H

Measurement source (opens a new tab)

How bad it is if exploited. Not a prediction of exploitation or proof you are exposed.

EPSS probability

Not available

A model's estimate of exploitation in the next 30 days, not certainty or your own risk.

Related technology

Sources

  1. Primary source

    NVD CVE-2023-53668 (opens a new tab)

    NVD record: description, CVSS (the CNA score is preferred), affected products, and publication date. Not evidence of exploitation.

    Published Checked

  2. Primary source

    NVD CVE API 2.0 (opens a new tab)

    The NVD API page that supplied this CVE record.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  3. Primary source

    NVD CVE API 2.0 (opens a new tab)

    The NVD API page that supplied this CVE record.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

Cite this record

For factual claims, cite the primary sources above; cite KEVWire for its compilation, dates, and classifications.

APA

KEVWire. (2026, November 5). Linux kernel: ring-buffer: Fix deadloop issue on reading trace_pipe (CVE-2023-53668). https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2023-53668

MLA

"Linux kernel: ring-buffer: Fix deadloop issue on reading trace_pipe (CVE-2023-53668)." KEVWire, 5 Nov. 2026, kevwire.com/record/CVE-2023-53668.

Chicago

KEVWire. "Linux kernel: ring-buffer: Fix deadloop issue on reading trace_pipe (CVE-2023-53668)." Last modified November 5, 2026. https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2023-53668.

Evidence summary (plain text)

Linux kernel: ring-buffer: Fix deadloop issue on reading trace_pipe (Oct 7, 2025).
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ring-buffer: Fix deadloop issue on reading trace_pipe

Soft lockup occurs when reading file 'trace_pipe':

  watchdog: BUG: soft lockup - CPU#6 stuck for 22s! [cat:4488]
  [...]
  RIP: 0010:ring_buffer_empty_cpu+0xed/0x170
  RSP: 0018:ffff88810dd6fc48 EFLAGS: 00000246
  RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: 0000000000000246 RCX: ffffffff93d1aaeb
  RDX: ffff88810a280040 RSI: 0000000000000008 RDI: ffff88811164b218
  RBP: ffff88811164b218 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: ffff88815156600f
  R10: ffffed102a2acc01 R11: 0000000000000001 R12:…
CVSS 7.1 (version 3.1; evidence as of Nov 5, 2026; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53668).
Sources:
NVD CVE-2023-53668: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53668
NVD CVE API 2.0: https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?lastModStartDate=2026-11-05T20:51:23.450Z&lastModEndDate=2026-11-05T22:25:57.582Z&resultsPerPage=500&startIndex=500
NVD CVE API 2.0: https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?lastModStartDate=2026-11-05T20:16:05.862Z&lastModEndDate=2026-11-05T21:50:58.884Z&resultsPerPage=500&startIndex=500
Record ID: CVE-2023-53668.
Record origin: Ingested record.
AI evidence: Not assessed.
Known exploitation: Not assessed.
Zero-day status: Not assessed. KEV membership alone does not establish zero-day status.
About this data

This record was ingested from a data source. Retrieved: Nov 5, 2026, 22:25 UTC. Ingestion is not an independent editorial investigation.

NVD status: Analyzed. Publication in the NVD is not evidence of exploitation.

A CISA KEV listing documents known exploitation, not necessarily a zero-day; absence from the catalog does not prove a vulnerability has never been exploited.

Technology tags indicate possible relevance, not verified exposure. Confirm the affected product, version, and configuration against your own inventory; KEVWire does not scan your systems.

A personal reading checklist on this device, not verified remediation.

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