CVE-2023-53499 | virtio_net: Fix error unwinding of XDP initialization

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: virtio_net: Fix error unwinding of XDP initialization When initializing XDP in virtnet_open(), some rq xdp initialization may hit an error causing net device open failed. However, previous rqs have already initialized XDP and enabled NAPI, which is not the expected behavior. Need to roll back the previous rq initialization to avoid leaks in error unwinding of init code. Also extract helper functions of disable and enable queue pairs. Use newly introduced disable helper function in error unwinding and virtnet_close. Use enable helper function in virtnet_open.

Published: 2025-10-01 Last update: 2026-01-16 Assigner: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2023-53499 is rated Low Risk (23.1/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.02%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-53499

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2025-10-01 0.02%

Full EPSS history (1 record total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-53499

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
5.5 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
1.8 3.6 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-53499

OS Trackers for CVE-2023-53499

vendor priority summary link
debian not yet assigned CVE-2023-53499 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (linux), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 4, open 1. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2023-53499
redhat medium https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-53499
suse medium https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-53499/
ubuntu medium CVE-2023-53499 medium priority: Ubuntu including 158 source packages (linux, linux-allwinner-5.19, …), 1414 status rows across 9 suites (bionic, focal, jammy, noble, plucky, questing, trusty, upstream, xenial): DNE 1017, ignored 159, released 116, not-affected 96, needed 25, needs-triage 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2023-53499

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-53499

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
linux linux_kernel >= 4.16, < 5.15.113 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel >= 5.16, < 6.1.30 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel >= 6.2, < 6.3.4 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel 6.4 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.4:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel 6.4 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.4:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-53499

cvelogic Threat Intelligence