CVE-2023-54085
NULL Pointer Dereference in Linux Kernel MPTCP Fastopen Path
Publication date: 2025-12-24
Last updated on: 2025-12-24
Assigner: kernel.org
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
| Probability: | |
| Percentile: |
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 in the Linux kernel's mptcp (Multipath TCP) implementation involves a NULL pointer dereference during the fastopen early fallback process. Specifically, when there is an early fallback to TCP, the function subflow_syn_recv_sock() deletes the subflow context before returning the newly allocated socket to the caller. However, the fastopen path does not handle this properly and unconditionally dereferences the now-deleted subflow context, leading to a NULL pointer dereference.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
This vulnerability can cause a NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel, which may lead to a kernel crash or system instability. This could result in denial of service or unexpected behavior in systems using Multipath TCP with fastopen enabled.