Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2023-52510 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in 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 versions 28b68cba378e3e50a4082b65f262bc4f2c7c2add, cdb46be93c1f7bbf2c4649e9fc5fb147cfb5245d, 85c2857ef90041f567ce98722c1c342c4d31f4bc as the first without the flaw, so updating Linux to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.24% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Linux to 28b68cba378e3e50a4082b65f262bc4f2c7c2add or cdb46be93c1f7bbf2c4649e9fc5fb147cfb5245d or 85c2857ef90041f567ce98722c1c342c4d31f4bc or 55e06850c7894f00d41b767c5f5665459f83f58f, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 4.14.328 or 4.19.297 or 5.4.259 or 5.10.199, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | ded845a781a578dfb0b5b2c138e5a067aa3b1242 up to, but not including, 28b68cba378e3e50a4082b65f262bc4f2c7c2add; ded845a781a578dfb0b5b2c138e5a067aa3b1242 up to, but not including, cdb46be93c1f7bbf2c4649e9fc5fb147cfb5245d; ded845a781a578dfb0b5b2c138e5a067aa3b1242 up to, but not including, 85c2857ef90041f567ce98722c1c342c4d31f4bc; ded845a781a578dfb0b5b2c138e5a067aa3b1242 up to, but not including, 55e06850c7894f00d41b767c5f5665459f83f58f; ded845a781a578dfb0b5b2c138e5a067aa3b1242 up to, but not including, 84c6aa0ae5c4dc121f9996bb8fed46c80909d80e; ded845a781a578dfb0b5b2c138e5a067aa3b1242 up to, but not including, 217efe32a45249eb07dcd7197e8403de98345e66; ded845a781a578dfb0b5b2c138e5a067aa3b1242 up to, but not including, becf5c147198f4345243c5df0c4f035415491640; ded845a781a578dfb0b5b2c138e5a067aa3b1242 up to, but not including, f990874b1c98fe8e57ee9385669f501822979258; and 1 more ranges | 28b68cba378e3e50a4082b65f262bc4f2c7c2add, cdb46be93c1f7bbf2c4649e9fc5fb147cfb5245d, 85c2857ef90041f567ce98722c1c342c4d31f4bc, 55e06850c7894f00d41b767c5f5665459f83f58f, 84c6aa0ae5c4dc121f9996bb8fed46c80909d80e, 217efe32a45249eb07dcd7197e8403de98345e66 |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 4.12 up to, but not including, 4.14.328; 4.15 up to, but not including, 4.19.297; 4.20 up to, but not including, 5.4.259; 5.5 up to, but not including, 5.10.199; 5.11 up to, but not including, 5.15.136; 5.16 up to, but not including, 6.1.59; 6.2 up to, but not including, 6.5.8; 6.6 | 4.14.328, 4.19.297, 5.4.259, 5.10.199, 5.15.136, 6.1.59 |
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.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ieee802154: ca8210: Fix a potential UAF in ca8210_probe If of_clk_add_provider() fails in ca8210_register_ext_clock(), it calls clk_unregister() to release priv->clk and returns an error. However, the caller ca8210_probe() then calls ca8210_remove(), where priv->clk is freed again in ca8210_unregister_ext_clock(). In this case, a use-after-free may happen in the second time we call clk_unregister(). Fix this by removing the first clk_unregister(). Also, priv->clk could be an error code on failure of clk_register_fixed_rate(). Use IS_ERR_OR_NULL to catch this case in ca8210_unregister_ext_clock().
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.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/217efe32a45249eb07dcd7197e8403de98345e66
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/28b68cba378e3e50a4082b65f262bc4f2c7c2add
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/55e06850c7894f00d41b767c5f5665459f83f58f
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/84c6aa0ae5c4dc121f9996bb8fed46c80909d80e
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/85c2857ef90041f567ce98722c1c342c4d31f4bc
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/becf5c147198f4345243c5df0c4f035415491640
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/cdb46be93c1f7bbf2c4649e9fc5fb147cfb5245d
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/f990874b1c98fe8e57ee9385669f501822979258
Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.0 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
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