CVE-2023-54193
kernel: net/sched: cls_api: remove block_cb from driver_list before freeing
Severity
ModerateRed Hat Product Security
CVSS 3.1
Review impact separately from score.
Published · December 30, 2025
Updated · August 5, 2026
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net/sched: cls_api: remove block_cb from driver_list before freeing
Error handler of tcf_block_bind() frees the whole bo->cb_list on error. However, by that time the flow_block_cb instances are already in the driver list because driver ndo_setup_tc() callback is called before that up the call chain in tcf_block_offload_cmd(). This leaves dangling pointers to freed objects in the list and causes use-after-free[0]. Fix it by also removing flow_block_cb instances from driver_list before deallocating them.
[0]: [ 279.868433] ================================================================== [ 279.869964] BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in flow_block_cb_setup_simple+0x631/0x7c0 [ 279.871527] Read of size 8 at addr ffff888147e2bf20 by task tc/2963
[ 279.873151] CPU: 6 PID: 2963 Comm: tc Not tainted 6.3.0-rc6+ #4 [ 279.874273] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.13.0-0-gf21b5a4aeb02-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 [ 279.876295] Call Trace: [ 279.876882] <TASK> [ 279.877413] dump_stack_lvl+0x33/0x50 [ 279.878198] print_report+0xc2/0x610 [ 279.878987] ? flow_block_cb_setup_simple+0x631/0x7c0 [ 279.879994] kasan_report+0xae/0xe0 [ 279.880750] ? flow_block_cb_setup_simple+0x631/0x7c0 [ 279.881744] ? mlx5e_tc_reoffload_flows_work+0x240/0x240 [mlx5_core] [ 279.883047] flow_block_cb_setup_simple+0x631/0x7c0 [ 279.884027] tcf_block_offload_cmd.isra.0+0x189/0x2d0 [ 279.885037] ? tcf_block_setup+0x6b0/0x6b0 [ 279.885901] ? mutex_lock+0x7d/0xd0 [ 279.886669] ? __mutex_unlock_slowpath.constprop.0+0x2d0/0x2d0 [ 279.887844] ? ingress_init+0x1c0/0x1c0 [sch_ingress] [ 279.888846] tcf_block_get_ext+0x61c/0x1200 [ 279.889711] ingress_init+0x112/0x1c0 [sch_ingress] [ 279.890682] ? clsact_init+0x2b0/0x2b0 [sch_ingress] [ 279.891701] qdisc_create+0x401/0xea0 [ 279.892485] ? qdisc_tree_reduce_backlog+0x470/0x470 [ 279.893473] tc_modify_qdisc+0x6f7/0x16d0 [ 279.894344] ? tc_get_qdisc+0xac0/0xac0 [ 279.895213] ? mutex_lock+0x7d/0xd0 [ 279.896005] ? __mutex_lock_slowpath+0x10/0x10 [ 279.896910] rtnetlink_rcv_msg+0x5fe/0x9d0 [ 279.897770] ? rtnl_calcit.isra.0+0x2b0/0x2b0 [ 279.898672] ? __sys_sendmsg+0xb5/0x140 [ 279.899494] ? do_syscall_64+0x3d/0x90 [ 279.900302] ? entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x46/0xb0 [ 279.901337] ? kasan_save_stack+0x2e/0x40 [ 279.902177] ? kasan_save_stack+0x1e/0x40 [ 279.903058] ? kasan_set_track+0x21/0x30 [ 279.903913] ? kasan_save_free_info+0x2a/0x40 [ 279.904836] ? ____kasan_slab_free+0x11a/0x1b0 [ 279.905741] ? kmem_cache_free+0x179/0x400 [ 279.906599] netlink_rcv_skb+0x12c/0x360 [ 279.907450] ? rtnl_calcit.isra.0+0x2b0/0x2b0 [ 279.908360] ? netlink_ack+0x1550/0x1550 [ 279.909192] ? rhashtable_walk_peek+0x170/0x170 [ 279.910135] ? kmem_cache_alloc_node+0x1af/0x390 [ 279.911086] ? _copy_from_iter+0x3d6/0xc70 [ 279.912031] netlink_unicast+0x553/0x790 [ 279.912864] ? netlink_attachskb+0x6a0/0x6a0 [ 279.913763] ? netlink_recvmsg+0x416/0xb50 [ 279.914627] netlink_sendmsg+0x7a1/0xcb0 [ 279.915473] ? netlink_unicast+0x790/0x790 [ 279.916334] ? iovec_from_user.part.0+0x4d/0x220 [ 279.917293] ? netlink_unicast+0x790/0x790 [ 279.918159] sock_sendmsg+0xc5/0x190 [ 279.918938] ____sys_sendmsg+0x535/0x6b0 [ 279.919813] ? import_iovec+0x7/0x10 [ 279.920601] ? kernel_sendmsg+0x30/0x30 [ 279.921423] ? __copy_msghdr+0x3c0/0x3c0 [ 279.922254] ? import_iovec+0x7/0x10 [ 279.923041] ___sys_sendmsg+0xeb/0x170 [ 279.923854] ? copy_msghdr_from_user+0x110/0x110 [ 279.924797] ? ___sys_recvmsg+0xd9/0x130 [ 279.925630] ? __perf_event_task_sched_in+0x183/0x470 [ 279.926656] ? ___sys_sendmsg+0x170/0x170 [ 279.927529] ? ctx_sched_in+0x530/0x530 [ 279.928369] ? update_curr+0x283/0x4f0 [ 279.929185] ? perf_event_update_userpage+0x570/0x570 [ 279.930201] ? __fget_light+0x57/0x520 [ 279.931023] ? __switch_to+0x53d/0xe70 [ 27 ---truncated---
Statement
This bug is a use-after-free caused by leaving flow_block_cb pointers in driver_list after the error path frees the callback objects, leading to dangling references later accessed in flow_block_cb_setup_simple(). A highly privileged local attacker (typically CAP_NET_ADMIN via tc/rtnetlink) can reliably trigger kernel crashes (DoS), potentially taking down the host. While kernel UAFs are theoretically exploitable, the prerequisite privileges and control surface make practical LPE/RCE unlikely here.
CVSS score applicability
The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.
Mitigation
No mitigation is specified in collected source.
CVSS / CWE
CVSS 3.1 · 5.6CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H
CWE-416 · Use After Free