Linux Kernel IO Processing Flaw in Device Mapper Component

CVE-2023-53860

What is CVE-2023-53860?

A flaw exists within the Linux Kernel's Device Mapper that improperly attempts to process IO requests while under RCU read lock protection. This error occurs when the kernel assumes that a request marked as REQ_NOWAIT can be submitted safely. However, while REQ_NOWAIT indicates that the kernel should not block while waiting for other IO operations to complete, it does not guarantee that scheduling can proceed under current locking conditions. This can lead to potential instability and system crashes, as evidenced by specific test cases that trigger a 'sleeping function called from invalid context' error. Addressing this issue is crucial to maintaining system integrity and performance.

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