CVE-2023-52522: net: fix possible store tearing in neigh_periodic_work()

Severity: medium (CVSS 5.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.3% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2024-03-02 · updated 2026-08-04

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: fix possible store tearing in neigh_periodic_work() While looking at a related syzbot report involving neigh_periodic_work(), I found that I forgot to add an annotation when deleting an RCU protected item from a list. Readers use rcu_deference(*np), we need to use either rcu_assign_pointer() or WRITE_ONCE() on writer side to prevent store tearing. I use rcu_assign_pointer() to have lockdep support, this was the choice made in neigh_flush_dev().

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 2.6.37 before 5.4.258; from 5.5 before 5.10.198; from 5.11 before 5.15.135; from 5.16 before 6.1.57; from 6.2 before 6.5.7; 6.6-rc1, 6.6-rc2, 6.6-rc3, 6.6-rc4 — fixed in 5.10.198, 5.15.135, 5.4.258, 6.1.57, 6.5.7

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 5.10.198, 5.15.135, 5.4.258, 6.1.57. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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