CVE-2023-53271
BaseFortify
Publication date: 2025-09-16
Last updated on: 2025-12-03
Assigner: kernel.org
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
| Probability: | |
| Percentile: |
Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| linux | linux_kernel | From 4.9 (inc) to 4.14.308 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 4.15 (inc) to 4.19.276 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 4.20 (inc) to 5.4.235 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 5.5 (inc) to 5.10.173 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 5.11 (inc) 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 UBI subsystem, specifically in the ubi_resize_volume() function. It occurs because an object created by ubi_eba_create_table() is improperly freed using kfree(), which does not free all associated memory, leading to unreferenced memory objects. The fix replaces kfree() with ubi_eba_destroy_table() to properly free all allocated memory.
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 in systems using the UBI subsystem. This could result in instability or crashes if the leak is significant and persistent.
How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?
This vulnerability can be detected by monitoring kmemleak reports for unreferenced objects related to the ubi_resize_volume() function. Specifically, look for memory leaks reported by kmemleak involving the 'ubirsvol' process or similar. You can enable and check kmemleak in the Linux kernel by using the following commands: 1. Enable kmemleak (if not already enabled): echo scan > /sys/kernel/debug/kmemleak 2. Check kmemleak reports: cat /sys/kernel/debug/kmemleak Look for entries similar to the unreferenced object described in the vulnerability, including backtraces involving ubi_resize_volume and ubi_eba_create_table.
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
Immediate mitigation involves updating the Linux kernel to a version where this vulnerability is fixed. The fix replaces the improper kfree() call with a proper ubi_eba_destroy_table() call to correctly free memory and prevent leaks. Until an update is applied, monitoring kmemleak reports and avoiding operations that trigger ubi_resize_volume() may reduce exposure.