Linux Kernel up to 5.10.165/5.15.90/6.1.8 l2tp_tunnel_register initialization

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability classified as problematic has been found in Linux Kernel up to 5.10.165/5.15.90/6.1.8. Affected by this issue is the function l2tp_tunnel_register. Performing a manipulation results in initialization. This vulnerability is reported as CVE-2023-53020. No exploit exists. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability classified as problematic has been found in Linux Kernel up to 5.10.165/5.15.90/6.1.8. This affects the function l2tp_tunnel_register. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a initialization vulnerability. CWE is classifying the issue as CWE-665. The product does not initialize or incorrectly initializes a resource, which might leave the resource in an unexpected state when it is accessed or used. The impact remains unknown. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: l2tp: close all race conditions in l2tp_tunnel_register() The code in l2tp_tunnel_register() is racy in several ways: 1. It modifies the tunnel socket _after_ publishing it. 2. It calls setup_udp_tunnel_sock() on an existing socket without locking. 3. It changes sock lock class on fly, which triggers many syzbot reports. This patch amends all of them by moving socket initialization code before publishing and under sock lock. As suggested by Jakub, the l2tp lockdep class is not necessary as we can just switch to bh_lock_sock_nested().

The advisory is shared at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2023-53020 since 03/27/2025. The exploitability is told to be difficult. Technical details are known, but no exploit is available.

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 241018 (EulerOS 2.0 SP13 : kernel (EulerOS-SA-2025-1704)), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

Upgrading to version 5.10.166, 5.15.91 or 6.1.9 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 2d77e5c0ad79004b5ef901895437e9cce6dfcc7e/77e8ed776cdb1a24b2aab8fe7c6f1f154235e1ce/cef0845b6dcfa2f6c2c832e7f9622551456c741d/0b2c59720e65885a394a017d0cf9cab118914682 is able to eliminate this problem. The bugfix is ready for download at git.kernel.org. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

The vulnerability is also documented in the databases at Tenable (241018) and CERT Bund (WID-SEC-2025-0649). If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.

Affected

• Google Container-Optimized OS
• Debian Linux
• Amazon Linux 2
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux
• Ubuntu Linux
• SUSE Linux
• Oracle Linux
• SUSE openSUSE
• Dell Avamar
• Open Source Linux Kernel
• SolarWinds Security Event Manager
• Dell NetWorker
• Dell Secure Connect Gateway

Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Linux

Name

• Kernel

Version

• 5.10.165
• 5.15.0
• 5.15.1
• 5.15.2
• 5.15.3
• 5.15.4
• 5.15.5
• 5.15.6
• 5.15.7
• 5.15.8
• 5.15.9
• 5.15.10
• 5.15.11
• 5.15.12
• 5.15.13
• 5.15.14
• 5.15.15
• 5.15.16
• 5.15.17
• 5.15.18
• 5.15.19
• 5.15.20
• 5.15.21
• 5.15.22
• 5.15.23
• 5.15.24
• 5.15.25
• 5.15.26
• 5.15.27
• 5.15.28
• 5.15.29
• 5.15.30
• 5.15.31
• 5.15.32
• 5.15.33
• 5.15.34
• 5.15.35
• 5.15.36
• 5.15.37
• 5.15.38
• 5.15.39
• 5.15.40
• 5.15.41
• 5.15.42
• 5.15.43
• 5.15.44
• 5.15.45
• 5.15.46
• 5.15.47
• 5.15.48
• 5.15.49
• 5.15.50
• 5.15.51
• 5.15.52
• 5.15.53
• 5.15.54
• 5.15.55
• 5.15.56
• 5.15.57
• 5.15.58
• 5.15.59
• 5.15.60
• 5.15.61
• 5.15.62
• 5.15.63
• 5.15.64
• 5.15.65
• 5.15.66
• 5.15.67
• 5.15.68
• 5.15.69
• 5.15.70
• 5.15.71
• 5.15.72
• 5.15.73
• 5.15.74
• 5.15.75
• 5.15.76
• 5.15.77
• 5.15.78
• 5.15.79
• 5.15.80
• 5.15.81
• 5.15.82
• 5.15.83
• 5.15.84
• 5.15.85
• 5.15.86
• 5.15.87
• 5.15.88
• 5.15.89
• 5.15.90
• 6.1.0
• 6.1.1
• 6.1.2
• 6.1.3
• 6.1.4
• 6.1.5
• 6.1.6
• 6.1.7
• 6.1.8

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

CPE 2.3info

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CPE 2.2info

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CVSSv4info

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Exploitinginfo

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Entryinfo

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