CVE-2023-53522

cgroup,freezer: hold cpu_hotplug_lock before freezer_mutex

HIGH
7.8
CVSS Score
Published: October 1, 2025 at 11:46 AM UTC
Updated: June 17, 2026 at 06:45 AM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorLinux Kernel

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Severity
HIGH7.8
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.2%

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cgroup,freezer: hold cpu_hotplug_lock before freezer_mutex syzbot is reporting circular locking dependency between cpu_hotplug_lock and freezer_mutex, for commit f5d39b020809 ("freezer,sched: Rewrite core freezer logic") replaced atomic_inc() in freezer_apply_state() with static_branch_inc() which holds cpu_hotplug_lock. cpu_hotplug_lock => cgroup_threadgroup_rwsem => freezer_mutex cgroup_file_write() { cgroup_procs_write() { __cgroup_procs_write() { cgroup_procs_write_start() { cgroup_attach_lock() { cpus_read_lock() { percpu_down_read(&cpu_hotplug_lock); } percpu_down_write(&cgroup_threadgroup_rwsem); } } cgroup_attach_task() { cgroup_migrate() { cgroup_migrate_execute() { freezer_attach() { mutex_lock(&freezer_mutex); (...snipped...) } } } } (...snipped...) } } } freezer_mutex => cpu_hotplug_lock cgroup_file_write() { freezer_write() { freezer_change_state() { mutex_lock(&freezer_mutex); freezer_apply_state() { static_branch_inc(&freezer_active) { static_key_slow_inc() { cpus_read_lock(); static_key_slow_inc_cpuslocked(); cpus_read_unlock(); } } } mutex_unlock(&freezer_mutex); } } } Swap locking order by moving cpus_read_lock() in freezer_apply_state() to before mutex_lock(&freezer_mutex) in freezer_change_state().

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

6.1 ≤ v < 6.1.256.1 ≤ v < 6.2.126.1 ≤ v < 6.36.2 ≤ v < 6.2.126.16.3 rc16.3 rc26.3 rc36.3 rc46.3 rc56.3 rc6f5d39b020809146cc28e6e73369bf8065e0310aa
Vendor states this is fixed in 34fbb7b45bae20b551dda24337c7761ca13ce69d (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 3756171b97c307d9df8b8ded1d883eec30172085 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 57dcd64c7e036299ef526b400a8d12b8a2352f26 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.1 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.1.25 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.2.12 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.3 (unaffected)

CVSS

Attack Vector
LOCAL
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
LOW
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
HIGH
Integrity
HIGH
Availability
HIGH
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusANALYZED
CWE
NVD-CWE-noinfo

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