CVE-2023-53197
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 USB uhci driver caused by improper handling of debugfs_lookup() results. The function debugfs_lookup() requires a corresponding dput() call to release memory, but this was missing, causing memory to leak over time. The fix involves using debugfs_lookup_and_remove(), which manages the memory correctly.
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
To mitigate this vulnerability, update the Linux kernel to a version where the USB uhci driver uses debugfs_lookup_and_remove() instead of debugfs_lookup() to prevent the memory leak. Applying the official patch or upgrading to the fixed kernel version is recommended.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
The memory leak can cause the system to consume increasing amounts of memory over time, potentially leading to degraded performance or system instability if the leak is significant and persistent.