CVE-2023-54198
Out-of-Bounds Access in Linux tty_driver Causes Kernel Crash
Publication date: 2025-12-30
Last updated on: 2025-12-30
Assigner: kernel.org
Description
Description
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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
How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?
This vulnerability can be detected by checking for kernel crash logs indicating a NULL pointer dereference related to tty_driver_lookup_tty(), especially after specifying invalid console= devices like console=tty3270. You can look for kernel oops messages in system logs using commands such as 'dmesg | grep -i tty' or 'journalctl -k | grep -i tty'. Additionally, reproducing the issue with a command similar to the provided example using qemu can help confirm the vulnerability: qemu-system-x86_64 -enable-kvm -nographic -serial mon:stdio -kernel <kernel_image> -append "console=ttyS0 console=tty3270"
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
Immediate mitigation involves avoiding the use of invalid console= device parameters such as console=tty3270 when booting the Linux kernel. Applying the kernel update or patch that fixes the out-of-bounds access in tty_driver_lookup_tty() is necessary to fully resolve the issue.
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability is an out-of-bounds access issue in the Linux kernel function tty_driver_lookup_tty(). When an invalid console device is specified (for example, console=tty3270), the function returns a tty struct without verifying if the index is valid. This can lead to a kernel crash due to a NULL pointer dereference.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
The vulnerability can cause the Linux kernel to crash (kernel panic) when an invalid console device is specified. This can lead to denial of service as the system becomes unstable or unusable until rebooted.