CVE-2023-54087
Unknown Unknown - Not Provided
Null Pointer Dereference in Linux Kernel UBI Volume Management

Publication date: 2025-12-24

Last updated on: 2025-12-24

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ubi: Fix possible null-ptr-deref in ubi_free_volume() It willl cause null-ptr-deref in the following case: uif_init() ubi_add_volume() cdev_add() -> if it fails, call kill_volumes() device_register() kill_volumes() -> if ubi_add_volume() fails call this function ubi_free_volume() cdev_del() device_unregister() -> trying to delete a not added device, it causes null-ptr-deref So in ubi_free_volume(), it delete devices whether they are added or not, it will causes null-ptr-deref. Handle the error case whlie calling ubi_add_volume() to fix this problem. If add volume fails, set the corresponding vol to null, so it can not be accessed in kill_volumes() and release the resource in ubi_add_volume() error path.
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Meta Information
Published
2025-12-24
Last Modified
2025-12-24
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2025-12-24
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-15
NVD
CVE-2023-54087
EUVD
EUVD-2023-60358
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 2 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel *
linux kernel *
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Exploitability
CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN
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Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a null pointer dereference in the Linux kernel's ubi_free_volume() function. It occurs when ubi_add_volume() fails during device registration, leading to kill_volumes() calling ubi_free_volume(), which attempts to delete devices that were never successfully added. This causes a null pointer dereference because ubi_free_volume() does not check if the device was added before trying to delete it. The fix involves handling the error case in ubi_add_volume() by setting the corresponding volume to null if adding the volume fails, preventing access to invalid volumes during cleanup.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can cause a null pointer dereference in the Linux kernel, which may lead to a kernel crash or system instability. Such crashes can result in denial of service, affecting the availability of the system or device using the affected Linux kernel.

Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, update the Linux kernel to a version where the ubi_free_volume() function properly handles error cases in ubi_add_volume(), ensuring that volumes are set to null if adding fails. This prevents null pointer dereferences by avoiding attempts to delete devices that were not successfully added.

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