Answer in brief
CVE-2023-52879 records a High severity (CVSS 7.8) vulnerability in tracing: Have trace_event_file have ref counters. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.
Analysis pending evidence review
HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.
Answer in brief
CVE-2023-52879 records a High severity (CVSS 7.8) vulnerability in tracing: Have trace_event_file have ref counters. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.
Analysis pending evidence review
HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.
CVSS is 7.8. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.
Analysis status
Analysis pending evidence review
Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.
The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.
| Product | Affected versions | Fixed versions |
|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | Not reported | Not reported |
| Package | Affected range | Fixed version |
|---|---|---|
| Linux/Linuxgeneric | >=e6807c873d8791ae5a5186ad05ec66cab926539a <961c4511c7578d6b8f39118be919016ec3db1c1e || >=407bf1c140f0757706c0b28604bcc90837d45ce2 <a98172e36e5f1b3d29ad71fade2d611cfcc2fe6f || >=fa6d449e4d024d8c17f4288e0567d28ace69415c <cbc7c29dff0fa18162f2a3889d82eeefd67305e0 || >=a46bf337a20f9edd3c8041b025639842280d0575 <2fa74d29fc1899c237d51bf9a6e132ea5c488976 || >=9beec04370132a7a6cd1aa9897f6fffc6262ff28 <2c9de867ca285c397cd71af703763fe416265706 || >=f5ca233e2e66dc1c249bf07eefa37e34a6c9346a <9034c87d61be8cff989017740a91701ac8195a1d || >=f5ca233e2e66dc1c249bf07eefa37e34a6c9346a <bb32500fb9b78215e4ef6ee8b4345c5f5d7eafb4 || >=5.4.258 <5.4.262 || >=5.10.198 <5.10.202 || >=5.15.134 <5.15.140 || >=6.1.55 <6.1.64 || >=6.5.5 <6.5.13 | 961c4511c7578d6b8f39118be919016ec3db1c1e, a98172e36e5f1b3d29ad71fade2d611cfcc2fe6f, cbc7c29dff0fa18162f2a3889d82eeefd67305e0, 2fa74d29fc1899c237d51bf9a6e132ea5c488976, 2c9de867ca285c397cd71af703763fe416265706, 9034c87d61be8cff989017740a91701ac8195a1d, bb32500fb9b78215e4ef6ee8b4345c5f5d7eafb4, 5.4.262, 5.10.202, 5.15.140, 6.1.64, 6.5.13 |
| Linux/Linuxgeneric | 6.6 | Not reported |
Published upstream
May 21, 2024
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:recordSource modified
Aug 4, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:recordFirst seen by HOL
Aug 4, 2026
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tracing: Have trace_event_file have ref counters The following can crash the kernel: # cd /sys/kernel/tracing # echo 'p:sched schedule' > kprobe_events # exec 5>>events/kprobes/sched/enable # > kprobe_events # exec 5>&- The above commands: 1. Change directory to the tracefs directory 2. Create a kprobe event (doesn't matter what one) 3. Open bash file descriptor 5 on the enable file of the kprobe event 4. Delete the kprobe event (removes the files too) 5. Close the bash file descriptor 5 The above causes a crash! BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000028 #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page PGD 0 P4D 0 Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP PTI CPU: 6 PID: 877 Comm: bash Not tainted 6.5.0-rc4-test-00008-g2c6b6b1029d4-dirty #186 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.16.2-debian-1.16.2-1 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:tracing_release_file_tr+0xc/0x50 What happens here is that the kprobe event creates a trace_event_file "file" descriptor that represents the file in tracefs to the event. It maintains state of the event (is it enabled for the given instance?). Opening the "enable" file gets a reference to the event "file" descriptor via the open file descriptor. When the kprobe event is deleted, the file is also deleted from the tracefs system which also frees the event "file" descriptor. But as the tracefs file is still opened by user space, it will not be totally removed until the final dput() is called on it. But this is not true with the event "file" descriptor that is already freed. If the user does a write to or simply closes the file descriptor it will reference the event "file" descriptor that was just freed, causing a use-after-free bug. To solve this, add a ref count to the event "file" descriptor as well as a new flag called "FREED". The "file" will not be freed until the last reference is released. But the FREE flag will be set when the event is removed to prevent any more modifications to that event from happening, even if there's still a reference to the event "file" descriptor.
Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.
CVSS is 7.8. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.
Analysis status
Analysis pending evidence review
Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.
The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.
| Product | Affected versions | Fixed versions |
|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | Not reported | Not reported |
| Package | Affected range | Fixed version |
|---|---|---|
| Linux/Linuxgeneric | >=e6807c873d8791ae5a5186ad05ec66cab926539a <961c4511c7578d6b8f39118be919016ec3db1c1e || >=407bf1c140f0757706c0b28604bcc90837d45ce2 <a98172e36e5f1b3d29ad71fade2d611cfcc2fe6f || >=fa6d449e4d024d8c17f4288e0567d28ace69415c <cbc7c29dff0fa18162f2a3889d82eeefd67305e0 || >=a46bf337a20f9edd3c8041b025639842280d0575 <2fa74d29fc1899c237d51bf9a6e132ea5c488976 || >=9beec04370132a7a6cd1aa9897f6fffc6262ff28 <2c9de867ca285c397cd71af703763fe416265706 || >=f5ca233e2e66dc1c249bf07eefa37e34a6c9346a <9034c87d61be8cff989017740a91701ac8195a1d || >=f5ca233e2e66dc1c249bf07eefa37e34a6c9346a <bb32500fb9b78215e4ef6ee8b4345c5f5d7eafb4 || >=5.4.258 <5.4.262 || >=5.10.198 <5.10.202 || >=5.15.134 <5.15.140 || >=6.1.55 <6.1.64 || >=6.5.5 <6.5.13 | 961c4511c7578d6b8f39118be919016ec3db1c1e, a98172e36e5f1b3d29ad71fade2d611cfcc2fe6f, cbc7c29dff0fa18162f2a3889d82eeefd67305e0, 2fa74d29fc1899c237d51bf9a6e132ea5c488976, 2c9de867ca285c397cd71af703763fe416265706, 9034c87d61be8cff989017740a91701ac8195a1d, bb32500fb9b78215e4ef6ee8b4345c5f5d7eafb4, 5.4.262, 5.10.202, 5.15.140, 6.1.64, 6.5.13 |
| Linux/Linuxgeneric | 6.6 | Not reported |
Published upstream
May 21, 2024
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:recordSource modified
Aug 4, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:recordFirst seen by HOL
Aug 4, 2026
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tracing: Have trace_event_file have ref counters The following can crash the kernel: # cd /sys/kernel/tracing # echo 'p:sched schedule' > kprobe_events # exec 5>>events/kprobes/sched/enable # > kprobe_events # exec 5>&- The above commands: 1. Change directory to the tracefs directory 2. Create a kprobe event (doesn't matter what one) 3. Open bash file descriptor 5 on the enable file of the kprobe event 4. Delete the kprobe event (removes the files too) 5. Close the bash file descriptor 5 The above causes a crash! BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000028 #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page PGD 0 P4D 0 Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP PTI CPU: 6 PID: 877 Comm: bash Not tainted 6.5.0-rc4-test-00008-g2c6b6b1029d4-dirty #186 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.16.2-debian-1.16.2-1 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:tracing_release_file_tr+0xc/0x50 What happens here is that the kprobe event creates a trace_event_file "file" descriptor that represents the file in tracefs to the event. It maintains state of the event (is it enabled for the given instance?). Opening the "enable" file gets a reference to the event "file" descriptor via the open file descriptor. When the kprobe event is deleted, the file is also deleted from the tracefs system which also frees the event "file" descriptor. But as the tracefs file is still opened by user space, it will not be totally removed until the final dput() is called on it. But this is not true with the event "file" descriptor that is already freed. If the user does a write to or simply closes the file descriptor it will reference the event "file" descriptor that was just freed, causing a use-after-free bug. To solve this, add a ref count to the event "file" descriptor as well as a new flag called "FREED". The "file" will not be freed until the last reference is released. But the FREE flag will be set when the event is removed to prevent any more modifications to that event from happening, even if there's still a reference to the event "file" descriptor.
Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.