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Medium · 5.5 CVE-2023-53260 EUVD-2023-59824GHSA-mvvw-5ww4-3hgm

ovl: fix null pointer dereference in ovl_permission()

Published Sep 15, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026 · Assigned by Linux

Vendor: Linux Product: Linux Package: linux Package: linux-allwinner-5.19 Package: linux-aws-5.0 Package: linux-aws-5.11 Package: linux-aws-5.13 Package: linux-aws-5.19 Package: linux-aws-5.3 Package: linux-aws-5.8 Package: linux-aws-6.2 Package: linux-aws-6.5 Package: linux-azure Package: linux-azure-5.11 Package: linux-azure-5.13 Package: linux-azure-5.19 Package: linux-azure-5.3 Package: linux-azure-5.8 Package: linux-azure-6.11 Package: linux-azure-6.2 Package: linux-azure-6.5 Package: linux-azure-edge Package: linux-azure-fde Package: linux-azure-fde-5.19 Package: linux-azure-fde-6.2 Package: linux-gcp Package: linux-gcp-5.11 Package: linux-gcp-5.13 Package: linux-gcp-5.19 Package: linux-gcp-5.3 Package: linux-gcp-5.8 Package: linux-gcp-6.11 Package: linux-gcp-6.2 Package: linux-gcp-6.5 Package: linux-gke Package: linux-gke-4.15 Package: linux-gke-5.15 Package: linux-gke-5.4 Package: linux-gkeop Package: linux-gkeop-5.15 Package: linux-gkeop-5.4 Package: linux-hwe Package: linux-hwe-5.11 Package: linux-hwe-5.13 Package: linux-hwe-5.19 Package: linux-hwe-5.8 Package: linux-hwe-6.11 Package: linux-hwe-6.2 Package: linux-hwe-6.5 Package: linux-hwe-edge Package: linux-intel Package: linux-intel-5.13 Package: linux-intel-iot-realtime Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.19 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.11 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.2 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.5 Package: linux-nvidia-6.2 Package: linux-nvidia-6.5 Package: linux-oem Package: linux-oem-5.10 Package: linux-oem-5.13 Package: linux-oem-5.14 Package: linux-oem-5.17 Package: linux-oem-5.6 Package: linux-oem-6.0 Package: linux-oem-6.1 Package: linux-oem-6.11 Package: linux-oem-6.5 Package: linux-oem-6.8 Package: linux-oracle-5.0 Package: linux-oracle-5.11 Package: linux-oracle-5.13 Package: linux-oracle-5.3 Package: linux-oracle-5.8 Package: linux-oracle-6.5 Package: linux-raspi-realtime Package: linux-raspi2 Package: linux-realtime Package: linux-riscv Package: linux-riscv-5.11 Package: linux-riscv-5.19 Package: linux-riscv-5.8 Package: linux-riscv-6.5 Package: linux-starfive-5.19 Package: linux-starfive-6.2 Package: linux-starfive-6.5 Platform: Linux Ecosystem: Debian Ecosystem: Ubuntu

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ovl: fix null pointer dereference in ovl_permission()

Following process:
P1 P2
path_lookupat
link_path_walk
inode_permission
ovl_permission
ovl_i_path_real(inode, &realpath)
path->dentry = ovl_i_dentry_upper(inode)
drop_cache
__dentry_kill(ovl_dentry)
iput(ovl_inode)
ovl_destroy_inode(ovl_inode)
dput(oi->__upperdentry)
dentry_kill(upperdentry)
dentry_unlink_inode
upperdentry->d_inode = NULL
realinode = d_inode(realpath.dentry) // return NULL
inode_permission(realinode)
inode->i_sb // NULL pointer dereference
, will trigger an null pointer dereference at realinode:
[ 335.664979] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference,
address: 0000000000000002
[ 335.668032] CPU: 0 PID: 2592 Comm: ls Not tainted 6.3.0
[ 335.669956] RIP: 0010:inode_permission+0x33/0x2c0
[ 335.678939] Call Trace:
[ 335.679165] <TASK>
[ 335.679371] ovl_permission+0xde/0x320
[ 335.679723] inode_permission+0x15e/0x2c0
[ 335.680090] link_path_walk+0x115/0x550
[ 335.680771] path_lookupat.isra.0+0xb2/0x200
[ 335.681170] filename_lookup+0xda/0x240
[ 335.681922] vfs_statx+0xa6/0x1f0
[ 335.682233] vfs_fstatat+0x7b/0xb0

Fetch a reproducer in [Link].

Use the helper ovl_i_path_realinode() to get realinode and then do
non-nullptr checking.

Affected products

VendorProductAffectedFixed
Linux Linux 5.19 6.1.43

Fixed in Linux distributions

Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.

ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Debian 14 linux 6.4.4-1 —
Debian 13 linux 6.4.4-1 —
Debian 12 linux 6.1.52-1 —
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS linux-intel +9 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS linux-riscv +32 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-gke +28 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-gcp +14 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS linux-hwe-edge No fix yet —
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
RHEL 9 rv +77 5.14.0-570.12.1.el9_6 RHSA-2025:6966
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
SLES 15 SP7 kernel-64kb +6 6.4.0-150700.53.22.1 SUSE-SU-2025:4057-1
SLES 15 SP7 kernel-azure +2 6.4.0-150700.20.18.1 SUSE-SU-2025:4132-1
SLES 15 SP7 kernel-default-base 6.4.0-150700.53.22.1.150700.17.15.1 SUSE-SU-2025:4057-1
SLES 15 SP6 kernel-64kb +6 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1 SUSE-SU-2025:03600-1
SLES 15 SP6 kernel-azure +2 6.4.0-150600.8.52.1 SUSE-SU-2025:03634-1
SLES 15 SP6 kernel-default-base 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1.150600.12.32.1 SUSE-SU-2025:03600-1
Show 6 more (older releases, extended support, other products)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
SLE Micro 6.1 kernel-default-base 6.4.0-35.1.21.12 SUSE-SU-2025:20861-1
SLE Micro 6.1 kernel-rt +1 6.4.0-37.1 SUSE-SU-2025:20898-1
SLE Micro 6.1 kernel-source +2 6.4.0-35.1 SUSE-SU-2025:20861-1
SLE Micro 6.0 kernel-default-base 6.4.0-35.1.21.12 SUSE-SU-2025:20851-1
SLE Micro 6.0 kernel-rt +1 6.4.0-37.1 SUSE-SU-2025:20870-1
SLE Micro 6.0 kernel-source +2 6.4.0-35.1 SUSE-SU-2025:20851-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP7 kernel-default 6.4.0-150700.53.22.1 SUSE-SU-2025:4057-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP7 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP7-RT_Update_6 1-150700.1.3.1 SUSE-SU-2025:4141-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP7 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP7_Update_6 1-150700.15.3.1 SUSE-SU-2025:4057-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP6 kernel-default 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1 SUSE-SU-2025:03600-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP6 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP6-RT_Update_16 1-150600.1.3.1 SUSE-SU-2025:3751-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP6 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP6_Update_16 1-150600.13.3.1 SUSE-SU-2025:03600-1
SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP7 kernel-rt +2 6.4.0-150700.7.22.1 SUSE-SU-2025:4141-1
SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP6 kernel-rt +3 6.4.0-150600.10.55.1 SUSE-SU-2025:3751-1
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
openSUSE Leap 15.6 dtb-aarch64 +10 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1 SUSE-SU-2025:03600-1
openSUSE Leap 15.6 kernel-azure +2 6.4.0-150600.8.52.1 SUSE-SU-2025:03634-1
openSUSE Leap 15.6 kernel-default-base 6.4.0-150600.23.73.1.150600.12.32.1 SUSE-SU-2025:03600-1
openSUSE Leap 15.6 kernel-rt +3 6.4.0-150600.10.55.1 SUSE-SU-2025:3751-1

Amazon Linux

ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Amazon Linux 2023 kernel-livepatch-6.1.49-69.116 1.0-0.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2023-330
Amazon Linux 2023 perf +12 6.1.49-69.116.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2023-330

Advisories 13

References