CVE-2023-53091

5.5 MEDIUM 0.2% exploit odds Fix listed Memory safety OS & kernel

What it is

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: update s_journal_inum if it changes after journal replay When mounting a crafted ext4 image, s_journal_inum may change after journal replay, which is obviously unreasonable because we have successfully loaded and replayed the journal through the old s_journal_inum. And the new s_journal_inum bypasses some of the checks in ext4_get_journal(), which may trigger a null pointer dereference problem. So if s_journal_inum changes after the journal replay, we ignore the change, and rewrite the current journal_inum to the superblock.

At a glance

Exploitability: Can be exploited locally on the machine with a low-privilege account. High risk of service disruption.
Exploit odds: 0.2% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Fix: A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

2025-05-02 16:15 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2026-11-05 21:17 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
Exploit odds: 0.2% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Severity: 5.5 MEDIUM (CVSS).
Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published: 2025-05-02 16:15 UTC
Last modified: 2026-11-05 21:17 UTC
Exploit probability: 0.2% · EPSS, next 30 days
Weakness: CWE-476 · NULL pointer dereference
Record status: Analyzed

Affected

Linux Kernel < 5.15.104
Linux Kernel < 6.1.21
Linux Kernel < 6.2.8

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 5.5

Attack vector: Local
Complexity: Low
Privileges needed: Low
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: High

Raw vector

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

Is it in your code?

Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.

Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2023-53091.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2023-53091. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

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Fix and advisories

References

NVD record · CVE.org record