CVE-2023-54176
Vulnerability Scoring
Status: Awaiting Analysis
Last updated: 🕣 31 Dec 2025, 20:43 UTC
Originally published on: 🕐 30 Dec 2025, 13:16 UTC
Time between publication and last update: 1 days
CVSS Release:
CVE-2023-54176: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mptcp: stricter state check in mptcp_worker As reported by Christoph, the mptcp protocol can run the worker when the relevant msk socket is in an unexpected state: connect() // incoming reset + fastclose // the mptcp worker is scheduled mptcp_disconnect() // msk is now CLOSED listen() mptcp_worker() Leading to the following splat: divide error: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP CPU: 1 PID: 21 Comm: kworker/1:0 Not tainted 6.3.0-rc1-gde5e8fd0123c #11 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.11.0-2.el7 04/01/2014 Workqueue: events mptcp_worker RIP: 0010:__tcp_select_window+0x22c/0x4b0 net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:3018 RSP: 0018:ffffc900000b3c98 EFLAGS: 00010293 RAX: 000000000000ffd7 RBX: 000000000000ffd7 RCX: 0000000000000000 RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: ffffffff8214ce97 RDI: 0000000000000004 RBP: 000000000000ffd7 R08: 0000000000000004 R09: 0000000000010000 R10: 000000000000ffd7 R11: ffff888005afa148 R12: 000000000000ffd7 R13: 0000000000000000 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: 0000000000000000 FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff88803ed00000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 0000000000405270 CR3: 000000003011e006 CR4: 0000000000370ee0 DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000 DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400 Call Trace: <TASK> tcp_select_window net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:262 [inline] __tcp_transmit_skb+0x356/0x1280 net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:1345 tcp_transmit_skb net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:1417 [inline] tcp_send_active_reset+0x13e/0x320 net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:3459 mptcp_check_fastclose net/mptcp/protocol.c:2530 [inline] mptcp_worker+0x6c7/0x800 net/mptcp/protocol.c:2705 process_one_work+0x3bd/0x950 kernel/workqueue.c:2390 worker_thread+0x5b/0x610 kernel/workqueue.c:2537 kthread+0x138/0x170 kernel/kthread.c:376 ret_from_fork+0x2c/0x50 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:308 </TASK> This change addresses the issue explicitly checking for bad states before running the mptcp worker.
The exploitability of CVE-2023-54176 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).
No exploitability data is available for CVE-2023-54176.
A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.
Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.
Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.
Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2023-54176, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.
Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2023-54176, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
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