CVE-2023-54107: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: blk-cgroup: dropping parent refcount after pd_free

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: blk-cgroup: dropping parent refcount after pd_free_fn() is done Some cgroup policies will

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: blk-cgroup: dropping parent refcount after pd_free_fn() is done Some cgroup policies will access parent pd through child pd even after pd_offline_fn() is done. If pd_free_fn() for parent is called before child, then UAF can be triggered. Hence it's better to guarantee the order of pd_free_fn(). Currently refcount of parent blkg is dropped in __blkg_release(), which is before pd_free_fn() is called in blkg_free_work_fn() while blkg_free_work_fn() is called asynchronously. This patch make sure pd_free_fn() called from removing cgroup is ordered by delaying dropping parent refcount after calling pd_free_fn() for child. BTW, pd_free_fn() will also be called from blkcg_deactivate_policy() from deleting device, and following patches will guarantee the order.

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

What it means for a small business

Linux is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.15%, higher than 4% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

Website check: reads what your site runs from the outside (WordPress version, plugins it can see, old server software) and matches it against this database.
Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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