CVE-2023-54045
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: audit: fix possible soft lockup in __audit_inode_child() Tracefs or debugfs maybe cause hundreds to thousands of PATH records,…
Overview
CVE-2023-54045 is a known-severity vulnerability. It was published on December 24, 2025.
Technical description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
audit: fix possible soft lockup in __audit_inode_child()
Tracefs or debugfs maybe cause hundreds to thousands of PATH records,
too many PATH records maybe cause soft lockup.
For example:
1. CONFIG_KASAN=y && CONFIG_PREEMPTION=n
2. auditctl -a exit,always -S open -k key
3. sysctl -w kernel.watchdog_thresh=5
4. mkdir /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/instances/test
There may be a soft lockup as follows:
watchdog: BUG: soft lockup - CPU#45 stuck for 7s! [mkdir:15498]
Kernel panic - not syncing: softlockup: hung tasks
Call trace:
dump_backtrace+0x0/0x30c
show_stack+0x20/0x30
dump_stack+0x11c/0x174
panic+0x27c/0x494
watchdog_timer_fn+0x2bc/0x390
__run_hrtimer+0x148/0x4fc
__hrtimer_run_queues+0x154/0x210
hrtimer_interrupt+0x2c4/0x760
arch_timer_handler_phys+0x48/0x60
handle_percpu_devid_irq+0xe0/0x340
__handle_domain_irq+0xbc/0x130
gic_handle_irq+0x78/0x460
el1_irq+0xb8/0x140
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
References
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Frequently asked questions
What is CVE-2023-54045?
CVE-2023-54045 is a known-severity vulnerability. It was published on December 24, 2025.
How severe is CVE-2023-54045?
CVSS score information is not yet available for this vulnerability. Check back as the CVE record is updated by NVD analysts.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2023-54045?
Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2023-54045?
CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2023-54045 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.