CVE-2023-54125 in Linux
Summary
by MITRE • 12/24/2025
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
fs/ntfs3: Return error for inconsistent extended attributes
ntfs_read_ea is called when we want to read extended attributes. There are some sanity checks for the validity of the EAs. However, it fails to return a proper error code for the inconsistent attributes, which might lead to unpredicted memory accesses after return.
[ 138.916927] BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in ntfs_set_ea+0x453/0xbf0
[ 138.923876] Write of size 4 at addr ffff88800205cfac by task poc/199
[ 138.931132]
[ 138.933016] CPU: 0 PID: 199 Comm: poc Not tainted 6.2.0-rc1+ #4
[ 138.938070] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.16.0-0-gd239552ce722-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014
[ 138.947327] Call Trace:
[ 138.949557] <TASK>
[ 138.951539] dump_stack_lvl+0x4d/0x67
[ 138.956834] print_report+0x16f/0x4a6
[ 138.960798] ? ntfs_set_ea+0x453/0xbf0
[ 138.964437] ? kasan_complete_mode_report_info+0x7d/0x200
[ 138.969793] ? ntfs_set_ea+0x453/0xbf0
[ 138.973523] kasan_report+0xb8/0x140
[ 138.976740] ? ntfs_set_ea+0x453/0xbf0
[ 138.980578] __asan_store4+0x76/0xa0
[ 138.984669] ntfs_set_ea+0x453/0xbf0
[ 138.988115] ? __pfx_ntfs_set_ea+0x10/0x10
[ 138.993390] ? kernel_text_address+0xd3/0xe0
[ 138.998270] ? __kernel_text_address+0x16/0x50
[ 139.002121] ? unwind_get_return_address+0x3e/0x60
[ 139.005659] ? __pfx_stack_trace_consume_entry+0x10/0x10
[ 139.010177] ? arch_stack_walk+0xa2/0x100
[ 139.013657] ? filter_irq_stacks+0x27/0x80
[ 139.017018] ntfs_setxattr+0x405/0x440
[ 139.022151] ? __pfx_ntfs_setxattr+0x10/0x10
[ 139.026569] ? kvmalloc_node+0x2d/0x120
[ 139.030329] ? kasan_save_stack+0x41/0x60
[ 139.033883] ? kasan_save_stack+0x2a/0x60
[ 139.037338] ? kasan_set_track+0x29/0x40
[ 139.040163] ? kasan_save_alloc_info+0x1f/0x30
[ 139.043588] ? __kasan_kmalloc+0x8b/0xa0
[ 139.047255] ? __kmalloc_node+0x68/0x150
[ 139.051264] ? kvmalloc_node+0x2d/0x120
[ 139.055301] ? vmemdup_user+0x2b/0xa0
[ 139.058584] __vfs_setxattr+0x121/0x170
[ 139.062617] ? __pfx___vfs_setxattr+0x10/0x10
[ 139.066282] __vfs_setxattr_noperm+0x97/0x300
[ 139.070061] __vfs_setxattr_locked+0x145/0x170
[ 139.073580] vfs_setxattr+0x137/0x2a0
[ 139.076641] ? __pfx_vfs_setxattr+0x10/0x10
[ 139.080223] ? __kasan_check_write+0x18/0x20
[ 139.084234] do_setxattr+0xce/0x150
[ 139.087768] setxattr+0x126/0x140
[ 139.091250] ? __pfx_setxattr+0x10/0x10
[ 139.094948] ? __virt_addr_valid+0xcb/0x140
[ 139.097838] ? __call_rcu_common.constprop.0+0x1c7/0x330
[ 139.102688] ? debug_smp_processor_id+0x1b/0x30
[ 139.105985] ? kasan_quarantine_put+0x5b/0x190
[ 139.109980] ? putname+0x84/0xa0
[ 139.113886] ? __kasan_slab_free+0x11e/0x1b0
[ 139.117961] ? putname+0x84/0xa0
[ 139.121316] ? preempt_count_sub+0x1c/0xd0
[ 139.124427] ? __mnt_want_write+0xae/0x100
[ 139.127836] ? mnt_want_write+0x8f/0x150
[ 139.130954] path_setxattr+0x164/0x180
[ 139.133998] ? __pfx_path_setxattr+0x10/0x10
[ 139.137853] ? __pfx_ksys_pwrite64+0x10/0x10
[ 139.141299] ? debug_smp_processor_id+0x1b/0x30
[ 139.145714] ? fpregs_assert_state_consistent+0x6b/0x80
[ 139.150796] __x64_sys_setxattr+0x71/0x90
[ 139.155407] do_syscall_64+0x3f/0x90
[ 139.159035] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x72/0xdc
[ 139.163843] RIP: 0033:0x7f108cae4469
[ 139.166481] Code: 00 f3 c3 66 2e 0f 1f 84 00 00 00 00 00 0f 1f 40 00 48 89 f8 48 89 f7 48 89 d6 48 89 ca 4d 89 c2 4d 89 c8 4c 8b 4c 24 088
[ 139.183764] RSP: 002b:00007fff87588388 EFLAGS: 00000286 ORIG_RAX: 00000000000000bc
[ 139.190657] RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: 00007f108cae4469
[ 139.196586] RDX: 00007fff875883b0 RSI: 00007fff875883d1 RDI: 00007fff875883b6
[ 139.201716] RBP: 00007fff8758c530 R08: 0000000000000001 R09: 00007fff8758c618
[ 139.207940] R10: 0000000000000006 R11: 0000000000000286 R12: 00000000004004c0
[ 139.214007] R13: 00007fff8758c610 R14: 0000000000000000 R15
---truncated---
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/03/2026
The vulnerability CVE-2023-54125 resides within the Linux kernel's ntfs3 file system driver, specifically in the ntfs_read_ea function responsible for reading extended attributes. This flaw manifests as a failure to properly validate extended attribute consistency checks, resulting in potential memory corruption scenarios that can lead to use-after-free conditions. The issue is particularly concerning because it occurs during the processing of extended attributes through the ntfs_setxattr system call, where inconsistent data structures are not appropriately handled, allowing malicious actors to trigger undefined behavior. The kernel's memory safety checker (KASAN) detects this anomaly when attempting to write to a freed memory location, specifically at address ffff88800205cfac, indicating that the system has already released memory that is subsequently accessed. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-476 as a NULL pointer dereference, though the actual manifestation involves memory corruption rather than direct NULL access. The attack surface is expanded through the use of the setxattr system call which is commonly used by applications to set extended file attributes, making this issue exploitable in scenarios where untrusted data is written to NTFS file systems. The call trace shows the execution path leading from user-space setxattr system call through kernel functions like __vfs_setxattr, eventually reaching ntfs_set_ea where the memory corruption occurs. This vulnerability directly relates to the ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter: Python, as it could be leveraged by attackers to execute arbitrary code through crafted extended attributes. The root cause stems from insufficient input validation within the ntfs_read_ea function, which fails to return appropriate error codes when inconsistencies are detected in extended attribute structures. When the system attempts to process malformed extended attributes, it continues execution with potentially corrupted data, leading to memory corruption patterns that can be exploited for privilege escalation or denial of service. The exploitation requires specific conditions where crafted extended attribute data triggers the faulty code path, making this a targeted vulnerability that affects systems running NTFS file systems with the ntfs3 driver. Mitigation strategies should include updating to kernel versions that contain the patched ntfs3 driver implementation, implementing strict input validation for extended attributes, and monitoring for suspicious setxattr operations that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, system administrators should consider disabling extended attributes on NTFS mounts where possible, and implementing runtime protections such as kernel address space layout randomization and stack canaries to reduce the exploitability of such memory corruption vulnerabilities. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of proper error handling in file system drivers, where failure to validate data integrity can lead to severe security implications that extend beyond simple data corruption to potential system compromise.