CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2023-53179NVD status: Modified

Linux: Out-of-bounds Write

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2023-53179 is a high-severity out-of-bounds write 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 7935b636dd693dfe4483cfef4a1e91366c8103fa, e632d09dffc68b9602d6893a99bfe3001d36cefc, 109e830585e89a03d554bf8ad0e668630d0a6260 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 0.17% 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 Linux to 7935b636dd693dfe4483cfef4a1e91366c8103fa or e632d09dffc68b9602d6893a99bfe3001d36cefc or 109e830585e89a03d554bf8ad0e668630d0a6260 or 83091f8ac03f118086596f17c9a52d31d6ca94b3, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 4.5 or 4.10 or 4.14.326 or 4.19.295, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinux0d5d0b5c41f766355f2b42c47d13ea001f754c7d up to, but not including, 7935b636dd693dfe4483cfef4a1e91366c8103fa; cb3e590df429ce151d5041884a4947099b8ad6a7 up to, but not including, e632d09dffc68b9602d6893a99bfe3001d36cefc; 886503f34d63e681662057448819edb5b1057a97 up to, but not including, 109e830585e89a03d554bf8ad0e668630d0a6260; 886503f34d63e681662057448819edb5b1057a97 up to, but not including, 83091f8ac03f118086596f17c9a52d31d6ca94b3; 886503f34d63e681662057448819edb5b1057a97 up to, but not including, a9e6142e5f8f6ac7d1bca45c1b2b13b084ea9e14; 886503f34d63e681662057448819edb5b1057a97 up to, but not including, 7ca0706c68adadf86a36b60dca090f5e9481e808; 886503f34d63e681662057448819edb5b1057a97 up to, but not including, d59b6fc405549f7caf31f6aa5da1d6bef746b166; 886503f34d63e681662057448819edb5b1057a97 up to, but not including, d95c8420efe684b964e3aa28108e9a354bcd7225; and 8 more ranges7935b636dd693dfe4483cfef4a1e91366c8103fa, e632d09dffc68b9602d6893a99bfe3001d36cefc, 109e830585e89a03d554bf8ad0e668630d0a6260, 83091f8ac03f118086596f17c9a52d31d6ca94b3, a9e6142e5f8f6ac7d1bca45c1b2b13b084ea9e14, 7ca0706c68adadf86a36b60dca090f5e9481e808
LinuxLinux Kernel4.4.165 up to, but not including, 4.5; 4.9.141 up to, but not including, 4.10; 4.14.84 up to, but not including, 4.14.326; 4.19.5 up to, but not including, 4.19.295; 4.20.1 up to, but not including, 5.4.257; 5.5 up to, but not including, 5.10.195; 5.11 up to, but not including, 5.15.132; 5.16 up to, but not including, 6.1.53; and 3 more ranges4.5, 4.10, 4.14.326, 4.19.295, 5.4.257, 5.10.195

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
CVSS 3.17.8HighNVD

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: ipset: add the missing IP_SET_HASH_WITH_NET0 macro for ip_set_hash_netportnet.c The missing IP_SET_HASH_WITH_NET0 macro in ip_set_hash_netportnet can lead to the use of wrong `CIDR_POS(c)` for calculating array offsets, which can lead to integer underflow. As a result, it leads to slab out-of-bound access. This patch adds back the IP_SET_HASH_WITH_NET0 macro to ip_set_hash_netportnet to address the issue.

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

The underlying weakness: Out-of-bounds Write

The product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, many languages that perform their own memory management, such as Java and Perl, are not subject to buffer overflows. Other languages, such as Ada and C#, typically provide overflow protection, but the protection can be disabled by the programmer. Be wary that a language's interface to native code may still be subject to overflows, even if the language itself is theoretically safe.
  • Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. Examples include the Safe C String Library (SafeStr) by Messier and Viega, and the Strsafe.h library from Microsoft. These libraries provide safer versions of overflow-prone string-handling functions.
  • Use automatic buffer overflow detection mechanisms that are offered by certain compilers or compiler extensions. Examples include: the Microsoft Visual Studio /GS flag, Fedora/Red Hat FORTIFY_SOURCE GCC flag, StackGuard, and ProPolice, which provide various mechanisms including canary-based detection and range/index checking. D3-SFCV (Stack Frame Canary Validation) from D3FEND discusses canary-based detection in detail.

More Out-of-bounds Write vulnerabilities (CWE-787)

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

Recent Out-of-bounds Write vulnerabilities

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