CVE-2023-53615
📋 TL;DR
A race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's QLogic Fibre Channel driver (qla2xxx) allows double scheduling of session deletions, leading to linked list corruption. This can cause system crashes, particularly in debug kernel configurations. Systems using QLogic Fibre Channel adapters with affected Linux kernel versions are vulnerable.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with qla2xxx driver
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
System crash leading to denial of service, potentially causing data corruption or loss in storage environments.
Likely Case
System instability or kernel panic resulting in temporary service disruption until system reboot.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact if systems are properly patched and not using debug kernel configurations.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access and specific timing conditions to trigger the race condition.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions containing fixes from git commits: 4d7da12483e98c451a51bd294a3d3494f0aee5eb, 6dfe4344c168c6ca20fe7640649aacfcefcccb26, a4628a5b98e4c6d905e1f7638242612d7db7d9c2, b05017cb4ff75eea783583f3d400059507510ab1, cd06c45b326e44f0d21dc1b3fa23e71f46847e28
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify qla2xxx driver is functioning properly post-update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable debug kernel features
linuxAvoid using debug kernel configurations which make the vulnerability more likely to trigger
Ensure kernel is compiled without CONFIG_DEBUG_* options where possible
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor systems for kernel panics or instability related to storage operations
- Implement strict access controls to limit who can perform storage management operations
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and verify if it contains the vulnerable qla2xxx driver code. Use 'uname -r' and examine kernel source or distribution security advisories.Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version after update and check that qla2xxx module loads without errors. Monitor system logs for stability.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic messages
- qla2xxx driver error messages in dmesg
- System crash logs related to storage operations
Network Indicators:
- Fibre Channel connectivity disruptions
- Storage array connection failures
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("panic" OR "oops" OR "qla2xxx")🔗 References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4d7da12483e98c451a51bd294a3d3494f0aee5eb
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6dfe4344c168c6ca20fe7640649aacfcefcccb26
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a4628a5b98e4c6d905e1f7638242612d7db7d9c2
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b05017cb4ff75eea783583f3d400059507510ab1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cd06c45b326e44f0d21dc1b3fa23e71f46847e28
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f1ea164be545629bf442c22f508ad9e7b94ac100
