CVE-2023-53184
Unknown Unknown - Not Provided
BaseFortify

Publication date: 2025-09-15

Last updated on: 2025-12-02

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: arm64/sme: Set new vector length before reallocating As part of fixing the allocation of the buffer for SVE state when changing SME vector length we introduced an immediate reallocation of the SVE state, this is also done when changing the SVE vector length for consistency. Unfortunately this reallocation is done prior to writing the new vector length to the task struct, meaning the allocation is done with the old vector length and can lead to memory corruption due to an undersized buffer being used. Move the update of the vector length before the allocation to ensure that the new vector length is taken into account. For some reason this isn't triggering any problems when running tests on the arm64 fixes branch (even after repeated tries) but is triggering issues very often after merge into mainline.
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Meta Information
Published
2025-09-15
Last Modified
2025-12-02
Generated
2026-05-07
AI Q&A
2025-09-15
EPSS Evaluated
2026-05-05
NVD
CVE-2023-53184
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 3 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel 6.1.42
linux linux_kernel 6.4.7
linux linux_kernel 6.5
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-787 The product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
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AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?

This vulnerability occurs in the Linux kernel's arm64 architecture related to SME (Scalable Matrix Extension) vector length handling. When changing the SVE (Scalable Vector Extension) vector length, the kernel reallocates the buffer for the SVE state. However, the reallocation was done before updating the vector length in the task structure, causing the allocation to use the old vector length. This can lead to memory corruption because the buffer may be undersized for the new vector length. The fix moves the update of the vector length before the allocation to ensure the buffer is correctly sized.


How can this vulnerability impact me? :

This vulnerability can lead to memory corruption in the Linux kernel on arm64 systems when changing the SVE vector length. Memory corruption can cause system instability, crashes, or potentially allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges if exploited.


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