Bug 2396535 (CVE-2023-53420)

Summary: CVE-2023-53420 kernel: ntfs: Fix panic about slab-out-of-bounds caused by ntfs_listxattr()
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security DevOps Team <prodsec-dev>
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Priority: low    
Version: unspecifiedCC: rhel-process-autobot, watson-tool-maintainers
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Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
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A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's NTFS3 file system driver. When iterating over extended attributes, improper validation of attribute entry lengths can cause the driver to read memory outside allocated boundaries. A local attacker capable of mounting a specially crafted file system could exploit this vulnerability by listing file attributes, resulting in a system crash and Denial of Service (DoS) or potential unauthorized information disclosure.
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2025-09-18 17:03:53 UTC 
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ntfs: Fix panic about slab-out-of-bounds caused by ntfs_listxattr()

Here is a BUG report from syzbot:

BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in ntfs_list_ea fs/ntfs3/xattr.c:191 [inline]
BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in ntfs_listxattr+0x401/0x570 fs/ntfs3/xattr.c:710
Read of size 1 at addr ffff888021acaf3d by task syz-executor128/3632

Call Trace:
 ntfs_list_ea fs/ntfs3/xattr.c:191 [inline]
 ntfs_listxattr+0x401/0x570 fs/ntfs3/xattr.c:710
 vfs_listxattr fs/xattr.c:457 [inline]
 listxattr+0x293/0x2d0 fs/xattr.c:804

Fix the logic of ea_all iteration. When the ea->name_len is 0,
return immediately, or Add2Ptr() would visit invalid memory
in the next loop.

[almaz.alexandrovich: lines of the patch have changed]
Comment 1 Keith Grant 2025-09-18 19:41:17 UTC 
Upstream advisory:
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/2025091855-CVE-2023-53420-e1ce@gregkh/T