CVE-2023-53700
BaseFortify
Publication date: 2025-10-22
Last updated on: 2025-10-22
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 | * |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-UNKNOWN |
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 media driver for the max9286 device. Specifically, in the function max9286_v4l2_register(), when an error occurs during device endpoint retrieval, the allocated video4linux control (v4l2_ctrl) is not freed properly, causing a memory leak. This happens because the function calls v4l2_ctrl_new_std() to create a control but fails to free it if fwnode_graph_get_endpoint_by_id() fails, leading to unreferenced memory remaining allocated.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
The memory leak can cause increased memory usage over time, potentially leading to resource exhaustion on systems using the affected max9286 media driver. This could degrade system performance or stability, especially in environments where the driver is frequently initialized or tested with the bpf mock device.
How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?
This vulnerability can be detected by checking for memory leaks reported by the Linux kernel's kmemleak feature. You can enable kmemleak and check for suspected memory leaks by examining the file /sys/kernel/debug/kmemleak. For example, run the command: cat /sys/kernel/debug/kmemleak to see if there are any new suspected memory leaks related to max9286 or v4l2_ctrl. This will help identify if the memleak described is present on your system.
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
To mitigate this vulnerability, update the Linux kernel to a version where the max9286 memleak in max9286_v4l2_register() has been fixed. The fix involves calling v4l2_ctrl_handler_free() to properly free the v4l2_ctrl when fwnode_graph_get_endpoint_by_id() fails, preventing the memory leak. Until the update is applied, monitoring kmemleak and avoiding use of the affected max9286 driver may reduce impact.