BaseFortify

Publication date: 2025-10-07

Last updated on: 2026-02-03

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: clk: microchip: fix potential UAF in auxdev release callback Similar to commit 1c11289b34ab ("peci: cpu: Fix use-after-free in adev_release()"), the auxiliary device is not torn down in the correct order. If auxiliary_device_add() fails, the release callback will be called twice, resulting in a UAF. Due to timing, the auxdev code in this driver "took inspiration" from the aforementioned commit, and thus its bugs too! Moving auxiliary_device_uninit() to the unregister callback instead avoids the issue.

CVSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2025-10-07

Last Modified

2026-02-03

Generated

2026-07-07

AI Q&A

2025-10-07

EPSS Evaluated

2026-07-05

NVD

CVE-2023-53636

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.3 (inc) to 6.3.2 (inc)
microchip	linux_kernel	*

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-416	The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a use-after-free (UAF) issue in the Linux kernel's microchip clock driver auxiliary device release callback. It occurs because the auxiliary device is not torn down in the correct order. Specifically, if auxiliary_device_add() fails, the release callback is called twice, leading to a use-after-free condition. The problem is similar to a previous bug in the peci CPU driver. The fix involves moving auxiliary_device_uninit() to the unregister callback to prevent the double release and UAF.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can lead to a use-after-free condition in the kernel, which may cause system instability, crashes, or potentially allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges if exploited. The exact impact depends on the environment and how the vulnerable driver is used.

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