CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2023-3776NVD status: Modified

Kernel: Use After Free

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2023-3776 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Kernel from Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists version 6.5 as the first without the flaw, so updating Kernel to that release or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.51% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update Kernel to 6.5 or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 4.14.322 or 4.19.291 or 5.4.251 or 5.10.188, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  3. Read the advisory on git.kernel.org for workarounds and exact fixed builds.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxKernel2.6 up to, but not including, 6.56.5
LinuxLinux Kernel2.6.12 up to, but not including, 4.14.322; 4.15 up to, but not including, 4.19.291; 4.20 up to, but not including, 5.4.251; 5.5 up to, but not including, 5.10.188; 5.11 up to, but not including, 5.15.121; 5.16 up to, but not including, 6.1.40; 6.2 up to, but not including, 6.4.5; 6.54.14.322, 4.19.291, 5.4.251, 5.10.188, 5.15.121, 6.1.40
DebianDebian Linux10.0; 11.0; 12.0Not stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
LowA basic user account is enough.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 3.17.8HighCNA (google.com)
CVSS 3.17.8HighNVD

Official description

A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's net/sched: cls_fw component can be exploited to achieve local privilege escalation. If tcf_change_indev() fails, fw_set_parms() will immediately return an error after incrementing or decrementing the reference counter in tcf_bind_filter(). If an attacker can control the reference counter and set it to zero, they can cause the reference to be freed, leading to a use-after-free vulnerability. We recommend upgrading past commit 0323bce598eea038714f941ce2b22541c46d488f.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Use After Free

The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory belongs to the code that operates on the new pointer.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Choose a language that provides automatic memory management.
  • When freeing pointers, be sure to set them to NULL once they are freed. However, the utilization of multiple or complex data structures may lower the usefulness of this strategy.

More Use After Free vulnerabilities (CWE-416)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in Kernel

All Kernel vulnerabilities

Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities

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