CVE-2023-54212
Unknown Unknown - Not Provided
Use-After-Free in Linux ALSA PCM Control Due to Missing Lock

Publication date: 2025-12-30

Last updated on: 2025-12-30

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ALSA: pcm: Move rwsem lock inside snd_ctl_elem_read to prevent UAF [ Note: this is a fix that works around the bug equivalently as the two upstream commits: 1fa4445f9adf ("ALSA: control - introduce snd_ctl_notify_one() helper") 56b88b50565c ("ALSA: pcm: Move rwsem lock inside snd_ctl_elem_read to prevent UAF") but in a simpler way to fit with older stable trees -- tiwai ] Add missing locking in ctl_elem_read_user/ctl_elem_write_user which can be easily triggered and turned into an use-after-free. Example code paths with SNDRV_CTL_IOCTL_ELEM_READ: 64-bits: snd_ctl_ioctl snd_ctl_elem_read_user [takes controls_rwsem] snd_ctl_elem_read [lock properly held, all good] [drops controls_rwsem] 32-bits (compat): snd_ctl_ioctl_compat snd_ctl_elem_write_read_compat ctl_elem_write_read snd_ctl_elem_read [missing lock, not good] CVE-2023-0266 was assigned for this issue.
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Meta Information
Published
2025-12-30
Last Modified
2025-12-30
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2025-12-30
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2023-54212
EUVD
EUVD-2023-60429
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel *
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Exploitability
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN
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Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel ALSA subsystem involves a missing lock in the snd_ctl_elem_read function, which can lead to a use-after-free (UAF) condition. Specifically, the rwsem lock was not properly held inside snd_ctl_elem_read in certain code paths (notably 32-bit compatibility), allowing an attacker to trigger and exploit this UAF bug. The fix moves the rwsem lock inside snd_ctl_elem_read to prevent this issue.

Impact Analysis

The use-after-free vulnerability could potentially allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code, cause a denial of service, or escalate privileges by exploiting the improper locking in the ALSA control interface of the Linux kernel. This could compromise system stability and security.

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