{"cve":"CVE-2023-53246","nvd":{"published":"2025-09-15T15:15:51.803","modified":"2026-06-17T06:44:37.347","status":"Modified","description":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\ncifs: fix DFS traversal oops without CONFIG_CIFS_DFS_UPCALL\n\nWhen compiled with CONFIG_CIFS_DFS_UPCALL disabled, cifs_dfs_d_automount\nis NULL. cifs.ko logic for mapping CIFS_FATTR_DFS_REFERRAL attributes to\nS_AUTOMOUNT and corresponding dentry flags is retained regardless of\nCONFIG_CIFS_DFS_UPCALL, leading to a NULL pointer dereference in\nVFS follow_automount() when traversing a DFS referral link:\n  BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000\n  ...\n  Call Trace:\n   <TASK>\n   __traverse_mounts+0xb5/0x220\n   ? cifs_revalidate_mapping+0x65/0xc0 [cifs]\n   step_into+0x195/0x610\n   ? lookup_fast+0xe2/0xf0\n   path_lookupat+0x64/0x140\n   filename_lookup+0xc2/0x140\n   ? __create_object+0x299/0x380\n   ? kmem_cache_alloc+0x119/0x220\n   ? user_path_at_empty+0x31/0x50\n   user_path_at_empty+0x31/0x50\n   __x64_sys_chdir+0x2a/0xd0\n   ? exit_to_user_mode_prepare+0xca/0x100\n   do_syscall_64+0x42/0x90\n   entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x72/0xdc\n\nThis fix adds an inline cifs_dfs_d_automount() {return -EREMOTE} handler\nwhen CONFIG_CIFS_DFS_UPCALL is disabled. An alternative would be to\navoid flagging S_AUTOMOUNT, etc. without CONFIG_CIFS_DFS_UPCALL. This\napproach was chosen as it provides more control over the error path.","cvss_v4":null,"cvss_v3":{"version":"3.1","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","score":5.5},"cwes":["CWE-476"],"references":["https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/179a88a8558bbf42991d361595281f3e45d7edfc","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1e144b68208e98fd4602c842a7149ba5f41d87fb","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/26a32a212bc540f4773cd6af8cf73e967d72569c","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b64305185b76f1d5145ce594ff48f3f0e70695bd","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b7d854c33ab48e55fc233699bbefe39ec9bb5c05"],"products":["linux:linux_kernel"],"source":"nvd","synced_at":"2026-10-19T22:08:41.295252406+00:00"},"epss":{"cve":"CVE-2023-53246","score":0.00149,"percentile":0.04098,"date":"2026-10-31"},"kev":null,"osv":[],"attribution":["This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.","EPSS scores: FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System, https://www.first.org/epss","Known exploited vulnerabilities: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog","Package advisories: OSV (https://osv.dev), from the GitHub Advisory Database, PyPA, Go, RustSec and other ecosystem databases, under CC-BY 4.0 or CC0","CVE records: the CVE Program's CVE List (https://www.cve.org), under its terms of use (https://www.cve.org/Legal/TermsOfUse). CVE is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation; this product is not affiliated with the CVE Program."]}