# CVE-2023-53987: linux: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:  ping: Fix potentail NULL deref for /proc/net/icmp

CVE-2023-53987 is fixed in 20 products on 1 platform, first by ALAS2023-2023-169, released April 27, 2023. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: High.

- Web page: https://patchblox.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-53987
- Priority: High
- CVSS: n/a (important)
- EPSS: 0.0020
- CISA KEV: not listed
- Exploited (vendor report): no
- Publicly disclosed: no
- Published: Apr 27, 2023

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:  ping: Fix potentail NULL deref for /proc/net/icmp.  After commit dbca1596bbb0 ("ping: convert to RCU lookups, get rid of rwlock"), we use RCU for ping sockets, but we should use spinlock for /proc/net/icmp to avoid a potential NULL deref mentioned in the previous patch.  Let's go back to using spinlock there.  Note we can convert ping sockets to use hlist instead of hlist_nulls because we do not use SLAB_TYPESAFE_BY_RCU for ping sockets.

## Where it's fixed

| Platform | Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | bpftool amzn 2023 | 6.1.25-37.47.amzn2023 | [ALAS2023-2023-169](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2023-169.md) | Apr 27, 2023 |
| Linux | bpftool-debuginfo amzn 2023 | 6.1.25-37.47.amzn2023 | [ALAS2023-2023-169](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2023-169.md) | Apr 27, 2023 |
| Linux | kernel amzn 2023 | 6.1.25-37.47.amzn2023 | [ALAS2023-2023-169](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2023-169.md) | Apr 27, 2023 |
| Linux | kernel-debuginfo amzn 2023 | 6.1.25-37.47.amzn2023 | [ALAS2023-2023-169](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2023-169.md) | Apr 27, 2023 |
| Linux | kernel-debuginfo-common-aarch64 amzn 2023 | 6.1.25-37.47.amzn2023 | [ALAS2023-2023-169](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2023-169.md) | Apr 27, 2023 |
| Linux | kernel-debuginfo-common-x86_64 amzn 2023 | 6.1.25-37.47.amzn2023 | [ALAS2023-2023-169](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2023-169.md) | Apr 27, 2023 |
| Linux | kernel-devel amzn 2023 | 6.1.25-37.47.amzn2023 | [ALAS2023-2023-169](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2023-169.md) | Apr 27, 2023 |
| Linux | kernel-headers amzn 2023 | 6.1.25-37.47.amzn2023 | [ALAS2023-2023-169](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2023-169.md) | Apr 27, 2023 |
| Linux | kernel-libbpf amzn 2023 | 6.1.25-37.47.amzn2023 | [ALAS2023-2023-169](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2023-169.md) | Apr 27, 2023 |
| Linux | kernel-libbpf-devel amzn 2023 | 6.1.25-37.47.amzn2023 | [ALAS2023-2023-169](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2023-169.md) | Apr 27, 2023 |
| Linux | kernel-libbpf-static amzn 2023 | 6.1.25-37.47.amzn2023 | [ALAS2023-2023-169](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2023-169.md) | Apr 27, 2023 |
| Linux | kernel-livepatch-6.1.25-37.47 amzn 2023 | 1.0-0.amzn2023 | [ALAS2023-2023-169](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2023-169.md) | Apr 27, 2023 |
| Linux | kernel-tools amzn 2023 | 6.1.25-37.47.amzn2023 | [ALAS2023-2023-169](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2023-169.md) | Apr 27, 2023 |
| Linux | kernel-tools-debuginfo amzn 2023 | 6.1.25-37.47.amzn2023 | [ALAS2023-2023-169](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2023-169.md) | Apr 27, 2023 |
| Linux | kernel-tools-devel amzn 2023 | 6.1.25-37.47.amzn2023 | [ALAS2023-2023-169](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2023-169.md) | Apr 27, 2023 |
| Linux | linux Debian 12.15 (bookworm) | 6.1.25-1 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53987](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2023-53987.md) | Dec 24, 2025 |
| Linux | linux Debian 13.5 (trixie) | 6.1.25-1 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53987](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2023-53987.md) | Dec 24, 2025 |
| Linux | linux Debian 14 | 6.1.25-1 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53987](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2023-53987.md) | Dec 24, 2025 |
| Linux | perf amzn 2023 | 6.1.25-37.47.amzn2023 | [ALAS2023-2023-169](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2023-169.md) | Apr 27, 2023 |
| Linux | perf-debuginfo amzn 2023 | 6.1.25-37.47.amzn2023 | [ALAS2023-2023-169](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2023-169.md) | Apr 27, 2023 |
| Linux | python3-perf amzn 2023 | 6.1.25-37.47.amzn2023 | [ALAS2023-2023-169](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2023-169.md) | Apr 27, 2023 |
| Linux | python3-perf-debuginfo amzn 2023 | 6.1.25-37.47.amzn2023 | [ALAS2023-2023-169](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2023-169.md) | Apr 27, 2023 |

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