CVE-2023-53602
Unknown Unknown - Not Provided
BaseFortify

Publication date: 2025-10-04

Last updated on: 2026-03-23

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: ath11k: fix memory leak in WMI firmware stats Memory allocated for firmware pdev, vdev and beacon statistics are not released during rmmod. Fix it by calling ath11k_fw_stats_free() function before hardware unregister. While at it, avoid calling ath11k_fw_stats_free() while processing the firmware stats received in the WMI event because the local list is getting spliced and reinitialised and hence there are no elements in the list after splicing. Tested-on: QCN9074 hw1.0 PCI WLAN.HK.2.7.0.1-01744-QCAHKSWPL_SILICONZ-1
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
Probability:
Percentile:
Meta Information
Published
2025-10-04
Last Modified
2026-03-23
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2025-10-04
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-15
NVD
CVE-2023-53602
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 3 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
qualcomm qcn9074 *
qualcomm ath11k *
linux linux_kernel From 5.15.160 (inc) to 5.16 (inc)
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
CWE Icon
KEV
KEV Icon
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 Quick Actions
Instant insights powered by AI
Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a memory leak in the Linux kernel's ath11k WiFi driver. Specifically, memory allocated for firmware statistics related to pdev, vdev, and beacon is not properly released when the driver module is removed (rmmod). The issue is fixed by ensuring the function ath11k_fw_stats_free() is called before the hardware is unregistered, preventing the memory leak.

Impact Analysis

The memory leak can cause increased memory usage over time when the affected WiFi driver is loaded and unloaded repeatedly, potentially leading to system instability or degraded performance due to exhausted memory resources.

Chat Assistant
Ask questions about this CVE
Hi! I’m here to help you understand CVE-2023-53602. Ask me anything about the vulnerability, its impact, or mitigation strategies.
0/70
EPSS Chart