CVE-2023-53584 in Linux
Summary
by MITRE • 10/04/2025
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ubifs: ubifs_releasepage: Remove ubifs_assert(0) to valid this process
There are two states for ubifs writing pages: 1. Dirty, Private 2. Not Dirty, Not Private
The normal process cannot go to ubifs_releasepage() which means there exists pages being private but not dirty. Reproducer[1] shows that it
could occur (which maybe related to [2]) with following process:
PA PB PC lock(page)[PA]
ubifs_write_end attach_page_private // set Private __set_page_dirty_nobuffers // set Dirty unlock(page)
write_cache_pages[PA]
lock(page) clear_page_dirty_for_io(page) // clear Dirty ubifs_writepage
do_truncation[PB]
truncate_setsize i_size_write(inode, newsize) // newsize = 0
i_size = i_size_read(inode) // i_size = 0 end_index = i_size >> PAGE_SHIFT if (page->index > end_index) goto out // jump out: unlock(page) // Private, Not Dirty
generic_fadvise[PC]
lock(page) invalidate_inode_page try_to_release_page ubifs_releasepage ubifs_assert(c, 0) // bad assertion! unlock(page) truncate_pagecache[PB]
Then we may get following assertion failed: UBIFS error (ubi0:0 pid 1683): ubifs_assert_failed [ubifs]:
UBIFS assert failed: 0, in fs/ubifs/file.c:1513 UBIFS warning (ubi0:0 pid 1683): ubifs_ro_mode [ubifs]:
switched to read-only mode, error -22 CPU: 2 PID: 1683 Comm: aa Not tainted 5.16.0-rc5-00184-g0bca5994cacc-dirty #308 Call Trace: dump_stack+0x13/0x1b ubifs_ro_mode+0x54/0x60 [ubifs]
ubifs_assert_failed+0x4b/0x80 [ubifs]
ubifs_releasepage+0x67/0x1d0 [ubifs]
try_to_release_page+0x57/0xe0 invalidate_inode_page+0xfb/0x130 __invalidate_mapping_pages+0xb9/0x280 invalidate_mapping_pagevec+0x12/0x20 generic_fadvise+0x303/0x3c0 ksys_fadvise64_64+0x4c/0xb0
[1] https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=215373
[2] https://linux-mtd.infradead.narkive.com/NQoBeT1u/patch-rfc-ubifs-fix-assert-failed-in-ubifs-set-page-dirty
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/27/2026
The vulnerability CVE-2023-53584 resides within the Linux kernel's UBIFS (Unsorted Block Images File System) implementation, specifically in the ubifs_releasepage function where an assertion failure occurs under certain concurrent conditions. This flaw manifests as a critical assertion check that incorrectly fails, leading to the filesystem being switched to read-only mode and potentially causing data integrity issues or denial of service conditions. The issue stems from improper handling of page states during concurrent file operations involving truncation and page invalidation processes.
The technical root cause involves a race condition between multiple kernel threads performing different operations on the same page within the UBIFS filesystem. The system maintains two primary page states: dirty-private and not-dirty-not-private. Under normal circumstances, pages should not exist in a private state without being dirty, but due to the specific sequence of operations involving page locking, dirty flag manipulation, and truncation, a page can enter an inconsistent state where it is marked as private but not dirty. This scenario violates the assumptions made by the ubifs_releasepage function which contains an assertion that explicitly checks for this impossible condition with ubifs_assert(0).
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it can lead to complete filesystem unavailability through read-only mode activation, disrupting all file operations on affected UBIFS volumes. The assertion failure occurs during generic_fadvise system calls when the kernel attempts to invalidate pages that have been truncated but not properly cleaned up. This triggers a cascade of operations that ultimately results in the assertion failure, causing the kernel to panic and switch the filesystem to read-only mode. The vulnerability affects systems using UBIFS on UBI (Unsorted Block Images) volumes and is particularly concerning in embedded systems or environments where filesystem integrity is critical.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper synchronization mechanisms to prevent the race condition that leads to the invalid page state. The fix involves removing the overly restrictive assertion that does not account for legitimate edge cases in concurrent page management. System administrators should ensure their kernels are updated with patches addressing this specific vulnerability, particularly those containing the fix that properly handles page state transitions during concurrent file operations. Additionally, monitoring for filesystem errors and implementing proper logging of UBIFS-related kernel messages can help detect potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-611 (Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference) and ATT&CK technique T1490 (Inhibit System Recovery) through its potential to cause system unavailability and data access disruption, making it a critical security concern for any system relying on UBIFS filesystem operations.