CVE-2023-53496

MEDIUM
Published Oct 1, 2025 Modified Jan 16, 2026

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: x86/platform/uv: Use alternate source for socket to node data The UV code attempts to build a set of tables to allow it to do bidirectional socket<=>node lookups. But when nr_cpus is set to a smaller number than actually present, the cpu_to_node() mapping information for unused CPUs is not available to build_socket_tables(). This results in skipping some nodes or sockets when creating the tables and leaving some -1's for later code to trip. over, causing oopses. The problem is that the socket<=>node lookups are created by doing a loop over all CPUs, then looking up the CPU's APICID and socket. But if a CPU is not present, there is no way to start this lookup. Instead of looping over all CPUs, take CPUs out of the equation entirely. Loop over all APICIDs which are mapped to a valid NUMA node. Then just extract the socket-id from the APICID. This avoid tripping over disabled CPUs.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.5
MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected Products

Vendor Product
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-53496? +
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: x86/platform/uv: Use alternate source for socket to node data The UV code attempts to build a set of tables to allow it to do bidirectional socket<=>node lookups. But when nr_cpus is set to a smaller number than actually present, the cpu_to_node() mapping information for unused CPUs is not available to build_socket_tables(). This results in skipping some nodes or sockets when creating the tables and leaving some -1's for later code to trip. over, causing oopses. The problem is that the socket<=>node lookups are created by doing a loop over all CPUs, then looking up the CPU's APICID and socket. But if a CPU is not present, there is no way to start this lookup. Instead of looping over all CPUs, take CPUs out of the equation entirely. Loop over all APICIDs which are mapped to a valid NUMA node. Then just extract the socket-id from the APICID. This avoid tripping over disabled CPUs. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2023-53496? +
CVE-2023-53496 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-53496? +
CVE-2023-53496 affects products from linux, specifically: linux_kernel. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2023-53496? +
You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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