CVE-2023-54045
audit: fix possible soft lockup in __audit_inode_child()
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: audit: fix possible soft lockup in __audit_inode_child() Tracefs or debugfs maybe cause hundreds to thousands of PATH records, too many PATH records maybe cause soft lockup. For example: 1. CONFIG_KASAN=y && CONFIG_PREEMPTION=n 2. auditctl -a exit,always -S open -k key 3. sysctl -w kernel.watchdog_thresh=5 4. mkdir /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/instances/test There may be a soft lockup as follows: watchdog: BUG: soft lockup - CPU#45 stuck for 7s! [mkdir:15498] Kernel panic - not syncing: softlockup: hung tasks Call trace: dump_backtrace+0x0/0x30c show_stack+0x20/0x30 dump_stack+0x11c/0x174 panic+0x27c/0x494 watchdog_timer_fn+0x2bc/0x390 __run_hrtimer+0x148/0x4fc __hrtimer_run_queues+0x154/0x210 hrtimer_interrupt+0x2c4/0x760 arch_timer_handler_phys+0x48/0x60 handle_percpu_devid_irq+0xe0/0x340 __handle_domain_irq+0xbc/0x130 gic_handle_irq+0x78/0x460 el1_irq+0xb8/0x140 __audit_inode_child+0x240/0x7bc tracefs_create_file+0x1b8/0x2a0 trace_create_file+0x18/0x50 event_create_dir+0x204/0x30c __trace_add_new_event+0xac/0x100 event_trace_add_tracer+0xa0/0x130 trace_array_create_dir+0x60/0x140 trace_array_create+0x1e0/0x370 instance_mkdir+0x90/0xd0 tracefs_syscall_mkdir+0x68/0xa0 vfs_mkdir+0x21c/0x34c do_mkdirat+0x1b4/0x1d4 __arm64_sys_mkdirat+0x4c/0x60 el0_svc_common.constprop.0+0xa8/0x240 do_el0_svc+0x8c/0xc0 el0_svc+0x20/0x30 el0_sync_handler+0xb0/0xb4 el0_sync+0x160/0x180 Therefore, we add cond_resched() to __audit_inode_child() to fix it.
INFO
Published Date :
Dec. 24, 2025, 1:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
Dec. 24, 2025, 1:16 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2023-54045
vulnerability.
Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the
products
that
are
affected, the information is not represented in the table below.
No affected product recoded yet
Solution
- Update the Linux kernel to the latest stable version.
- Apply the specific patch for the audit subsystem.
- Monitor system stability after applying the update.
- Review audit configuration for excessive PATH record generation.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2023-54045.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2023-54045 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2023-54045
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
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The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2023-54045 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2023-54045 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
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New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Dec. 24, 2025
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: audit: fix possible soft lockup in __audit_inode_child() Tracefs or debugfs maybe cause hundreds to thousands of PATH records, too many PATH records maybe cause soft lockup. For example: 1. CONFIG_KASAN=y && CONFIG_PREEMPTION=n 2. auditctl -a exit,always -S open -k key 3. sysctl -w kernel.watchdog_thresh=5 4. mkdir /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/instances/test There may be a soft lockup as follows: watchdog: BUG: soft lockup - CPU#45 stuck for 7s! [mkdir:15498] Kernel panic - not syncing: softlockup: hung tasks Call trace: dump_backtrace+0x0/0x30c show_stack+0x20/0x30 dump_stack+0x11c/0x174 panic+0x27c/0x494 watchdog_timer_fn+0x2bc/0x390 __run_hrtimer+0x148/0x4fc __hrtimer_run_queues+0x154/0x210 hrtimer_interrupt+0x2c4/0x760 arch_timer_handler_phys+0x48/0x60 handle_percpu_devid_irq+0xe0/0x340 __handle_domain_irq+0xbc/0x130 gic_handle_irq+0x78/0x460 el1_irq+0xb8/0x140 __audit_inode_child+0x240/0x7bc tracefs_create_file+0x1b8/0x2a0 trace_create_file+0x18/0x50 event_create_dir+0x204/0x30c __trace_add_new_event+0xac/0x100 event_trace_add_tracer+0xa0/0x130 trace_array_create_dir+0x60/0x140 trace_array_create+0x1e0/0x370 instance_mkdir+0x90/0xd0 tracefs_syscall_mkdir+0x68/0xa0 vfs_mkdir+0x21c/0x34c do_mkdirat+0x1b4/0x1d4 __arm64_sys_mkdirat+0x4c/0x60 el0_svc_common.constprop.0+0xa8/0x240 do_el0_svc+0x8c/0xc0 el0_svc+0x20/0x30 el0_sync_handler+0xb0/0xb4 el0_sync+0x160/0x180 Therefore, we add cond_resched() to __audit_inode_child() to fix it. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0152e7758cc4e9f8bfba8dbea4438d8e488d6c08 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1640c7bd4eddec6c72f3a99cbb74e333a2ce9f5d Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8a40b491372966ba5426e138a53460985565d5a6 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8e76b944a7b9bddef190ffe2e29c9ae342ab91ed Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/98ef243d5900d75a64539a2165745bffbb155d43 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9ca08adb75fb40a8f742c371927ee73f9dc753bf Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b59bc6e37237e37eadf50cd5de369e913f524463 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d061e2bfc20f2914656385816e0d20566213c54c Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f6364fa751d7486502c777f124a14d4d543fc5eb