CVE-2023-53173
BaseFortify
Publication date: 2025-09-15
Last updated on: 2025-12-02
Assigner: kernel.org
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
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Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| linux | linux_kernel | to 5.15.100 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 5.16 (inc) to 6.1.18 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 6.2 (inc) to 6.2.5 (exc) |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-401 | The product does not sufficiently track and release allocated memory after it has been used, making the memory unavailable for reallocation and reuse. |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability is a memory leak in the Linux kernel's tty pcn_uart driver caused by improper handling of debugfs_lookup() calls. When debugfs_lookup() is called, the returned result must be released with dput() to avoid leaking memory. The fix involves using debugfs_lookup_and_remove(), which manages this process correctly and prevents the memory leak.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
The memory leak caused by this vulnerability can lead to increased memory usage over time, potentially degrading system performance or causing resource exhaustion on affected Linux systems.
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
To mitigate this vulnerability, update the Linux kernel to a version where the pcn_uart memory leak issue with debugfs_lookup() has been fixed. This involves ensuring that debugfs_lookup_and_remove() is used instead of debugfs_lookup() without a corresponding dput() call, which prevents the memory leak.