Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2023-53673 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 1ecf6dc2676ead4b927c50b1be0851fa4d756574, 59bd1e476bbc7bc6dff3c61bba787095a4839796, 093a07052406b363b1b2ab489e17dbadaf3e509b 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 0.25% 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 1ecf6dc2676ead4b927c50b1be0851fa4d756574 or 59bd1e476bbc7bc6dff3c61bba787095a4839796 or 093a07052406b363b1b2ab489e17dbadaf3e509b or 7f7cfcb6f0825652973b780f248603e23f16ee90, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 5.15.200 or 6.1.42 or 6.4.7, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | b8d290525e3972b5e876b2649a42bf4081d753fe up to, but not including, 1ecf6dc2676ead4b927c50b1be0851fa4d756574; b8d290525e3972b5e876b2649a42bf4081d753fe up to, but not including, 59bd1e476bbc7bc6dff3c61bba787095a4839796; b8d290525e3972b5e876b2649a42bf4081d753fe up to, but not including, 093a07052406b363b1b2ab489e17dbadaf3e509b; b8d290525e3972b5e876b2649a42bf4081d753fe up to, but not including, 7f7cfcb6f0825652973b780f248603e23f16ee90; 5.7 | 1ecf6dc2676ead4b927c50b1be0851fa4d756574, 59bd1e476bbc7bc6dff3c61bba787095a4839796, 093a07052406b363b1b2ab489e17dbadaf3e509b, 7f7cfcb6f0825652973b780f248603e23f16ee90 |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 5.7 up to, but not including, 5.15.200; 5.16 up to, but not including, 6.1.42; 6.2 up to, but not including, 6.4.7; 6.5 | 5.15.200, 6.1.42, 6.4.7 |
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 system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 8.8 | High | CNA |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 | High | NVD |
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: hci_event: call disconnect callback before deleting conn In hci_cs_disconnect, we do hci_conn_del even if disconnection failed. ISO, L2CAP and SCO connections refer to the hci_conn without hci_conn_get, so disconn_cfm must be called so they can clean up their conn, otherwise use-after-free occurs. ISO: ========================================================== iso_sock_connect:880: sk 00000000eabd6557 iso_connect_cis:356: 70:1a:b8:98:ff:a2 -> 28:3d:c2:4a:7e:da ... iso_conn_add:140: hcon 000000001696f1fd conn 00000000b6251073 hci_dev_put:1487: hci0 orig refcnt 17 __iso_chan_add:214: conn 00000000b6251073 iso_sock_clear_timer:117: sock 00000000eabd6557 state 3 ... hci_rx_work:4085: hci0 Event packet hci_event_packet:7601: hci0: event 0x0f hci_cmd_status_evt:4346: hci0: opcode 0x0406 hci_cs_disconnect:2760: hci0: status 0x0c hci_sent_cmd_data:3107: hci0 opcode 0x0406 hci_conn_del:1151: hci0 hcon 000000001696f1fd handle 2560 hci_conn_unlink:1102: hci0: hcon 000000001696f1fd hci_conn_drop:1451: hcon 00000000d8521aaf orig refcnt 2 hci_chan_list_flush:2780: hcon 000000001696f1fd hci_dev_put:1487: hci0 orig refcnt 21 hci_dev_put:1487: hci0 orig refcnt 20 hci_req_cmd_complete:3978: opcode 0x0406 status 0x0c ... <no iso_* activity on sk/conn> ... iso_sock_sendmsg:1098: sock 00000000dea5e2e0, sk 00000000eabd6557 BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000668 PGD 0 P4D 0 Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP PTI Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.16.2-1.fc38 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:iso_sock_sendmsg (net/bluetooth/iso.c:1112) bluetooth ========================================================== L2CAP: ================================================================== hci_cmd_status_evt:4359: hci0: opcode 0x0406 hci_cs_disconnect:2760: hci0: status 0x0c hci_sent_cmd_data:3085: hci0 opcode 0x0406 hci_conn_del:1151: hci0 hcon ffff88800c999000 handle 3585 hci_conn_unlink:1102: hci0: hcon ffff88800c999000 hci_chan_list_flush:2780: hcon ffff88800c999000 hci_chan_del:2761: hci0 hcon ffff88800c999000 chan ffff888018ddd280 ... BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in hci_send_acl+0x2d/0x540 [bluetooth] Read of size 8 at addr ffff888018ddd298 by task bluetoothd/1175 CPU: 0 PID: 1175 Comm: bluetoothd Tainted: G E 6.4.0-rc4+ #2 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.16.2-1.fc38 04/01/2014 Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x5b/0x90 print_report+0xcf/0x670 ? __virt_addr_valid+0xf8/0x180 ? hci_send_acl+0x2d/0x540 [bluetooth] kasan_report+0xa8/0xe0 ? hci_send_acl+0x2d/0x540 [bluetooth] hci_send_acl+0x2d/0x540 [bluetooth] ? __pfx___lock_acquire+0x10/0x10 l2cap_chan_send+0x1fd/0x1300 [bluetooth] ? l2cap_sock_sendmsg+0xf2/0x170 [bluetooth] ? __pfx_l2cap_chan_send+0x10/0x10 [bluetooth] ? lock_release+0x1d5/0x3c0 ? mark_held_locks+0x1a/0x90 l2cap_sock_sendmsg+0x100/0x170 [bluetooth] sock_write_iter+0x275/0x280 ? __pfx_sock_write_iter+0x10/0x10 ? __pfx___lock_acquire+0x10/0x10 do_iter_readv_writev+0x176/0x220 ? __pfx_do_iter_readv_writev+0x10/0x10 ? find_held_lock+0x83/0xa0 ? selinux_file_permission+0x13e/0x210 do_iter_write+0xda/0x340 vfs_writev+0x1b4/0x400 ? __pfx_vfs_writev+0x10/0x10 ? __seccomp_filter+0x112/0x750 ? populate_seccomp_data+0x182/0x220 ? __fget_light+0xdf/0x100 ? do_writev+0x19d/0x210 do_writev+0x19d/0x210 ? __pfx_do_writev+0x10/0x10 ? mark_held_locks+0x1a/0x90 do_syscall_64+0x60/0x90 ? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0x149/0x210 ? do_syscall_64+0x6c/0x90 ? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0x149/0x210 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x72/0xdc RIP: 0033:0x7ff45cb23e64 Code: 15 d1 1f 0d 00 f7 d8 64 89 02 48 c7 c0 ff ff ff ff eb b8 0f 1f 00 f3 0f 1e fa 80 3d 9d a7 0d 00 00 74 13 b8 14 00 00 00 0f 05 <48> 3d 00 f0 ff ff 77 54 c3 0f 1f 00 48 83 ec 28 89 54 24 1c 48 89 RSP: 002b:00007fff21ae09b8 EFLAGS: 00000202 ORIG_RAX: 0000000000000014 RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: ---truncated---
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
Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities
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