Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2023-53003 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 66e10d5f399629ef7877304d9ba2b35d0474e7eb, 76d9ebb7f0bc10fbc78b6d576751552edf743968, bff5243bd32661cf9ce66f6d9210fc8f89bda145 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 0.27% 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 66e10d5f399629ef7877304d9ba2b35d0474e7eb or 76d9ebb7f0bc10fbc78b6d576751552edf743968 or bff5243bd32661cf9ce66f6d9210fc8f89bda145 or 6f0351d0c311951b8b3064db91e61841e85b2b96, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 5.4.231 or 5.10.166 or 5.15.91 or 6.1.9, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 27450653f1db0b9d5b5048a246c850c52ee4aa61 up to, but not including, 66e10d5f399629ef7877304d9ba2b35d0474e7eb; 27450653f1db0b9d5b5048a246c850c52ee4aa61 up to, but not including, 76d9ebb7f0bc10fbc78b6d576751552edf743968; 27450653f1db0b9d5b5048a246c850c52ee4aa61 up to, but not including, bff5243bd32661cf9ce66f6d9210fc8f89bda145; 27450653f1db0b9d5b5048a246c850c52ee4aa61 up to, but not including, 6f0351d0c311951b8b3064db91e61841e85b2b96; 27450653f1db0b9d5b5048a246c850c52ee4aa61 up to, but not including, 977c6ba624f24ae20cf0faee871257a39348d4a9; 4.20 | 66e10d5f399629ef7877304d9ba2b35d0474e7eb, 76d9ebb7f0bc10fbc78b6d576751552edf743968, bff5243bd32661cf9ce66f6d9210fc8f89bda145, 6f0351d0c311951b8b3064db91e61841e85b2b96, 977c6ba624f24ae20cf0faee871257a39348d4a9 |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 4.20 up to, but not including, 5.4.231; 5.5 up to, but not including, 5.10.166; 5.11 up to, but not including, 5.15.91; 5.16 up to, but not including, 6.1.9; 6.2 | 5.4.231, 5.10.166, 5.15.91, 6.1.9 |
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 CISA (ADP).
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: EDAC/qcom: Do not pass llcc_driv_data as edac_device_ctl_info's pvt_info The memory for llcc_driv_data is allocated by the LLCC driver. But when it is passed as the private driver info to the EDAC core, it will get freed during the qcom_edac driver release. So when the qcom_edac driver gets probed again, it will try to use the freed data leading to the use-after-free bug. Hence, do not pass llcc_driv_data as pvt_info but rather reference it using the platform_data pointer in the qcom_edac driver.
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: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/66e10d5f399629ef7877304d9ba2b35d0474e7eb
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/6f0351d0c311951b8b3064db91e61841e85b2b96
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/76d9ebb7f0bc10fbc78b6d576751552edf743968
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/977c6ba624f24ae20cf0faee871257a39348d4a9
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/bff5243bd32661cf9ce66f6d9210fc8f89bda145
Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
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