CVE-2023-54176

mptcp: stricter state check in mptcp_worker

published December 30, 2025

CVSS
—
EPSS
0%
Percentile
9.2
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

mptcp: stricter state check in mptcp_worker

As reported by Christoph, the mptcp protocol can run the

worker when the relevant msk socket is in an unexpected state:

connect()

// incoming reset + fastclose

// the mptcp worker is scheduled

mptcp_disconnect()

// msk is now CLOSED

listen()

mptcp_worker()

Leading to the following splat:

divide error: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP

CPU: 1 PID: 21 Comm: kworker/1:0 Not tainted 6.3.0-rc1-gde5e8fd0123c #11

Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.11.0-2.el7 04/01/2014

Workqueue: events mptcp_worker

RIP: 0010:__tcp_select_window+0x22c/0x4b0 net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:3018

RSP: 0018:ffffc900000b3c98 EFLAGS: 00010293

RAX: 000000000000ffd7 RBX: 000000000000ffd7 RCX: 0000000000000000

RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: ffffffff8214ce97 RDI: 0000000000000004

RBP: 000000000000ffd7 R08: 0000000000000004 R09: 0000000000010000

R10: 000000000000ffd7 R11: ffff888005afa148 R12: 000000000000ffd7

R13: 0000000000000000 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: 0000000000000000

FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff88803ed00000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000

CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033

CR2: 0000000000405270 CR3: 000000003011e006 CR4: 0000000000370ee0

DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000

DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400

Call Trace:

<TASK>

tcp_select_window net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:262 [inline]

__tcp_transmit_skb+0x356/0x1280 net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:1345

tcp_transmit_skb net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:1417 [inline]

tcp_send_active_reset+0x13e/0x320 net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:3459

mptcp_check_fastclose net/mptcp/protocol.c:2530 [inline]

mptcp_worker+0x6c7/0x800 net/mptcp/protocol.c:2705

process_one_work+0x3bd/0x950 kernel/workqueue.c:2390

worker_thread+0x5b/0x610 kernel/workqueue.c:2537

kthread+0x138/0x170 kernel/kthread.c:376

ret_from_fork+0x2c/0x50 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:308

</TASK>

This change addresses the issue explicitly checking for bad states

before running the mptcp worker.

The record
Technical detail
CVSS
Not scored
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.00199 · 9.2th percentile
Published
2025-12-30T12:08Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 30 DEC 12:08Z
    mptcp: stricter state check in mptcp_worker
    cvelistv5