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CVE-2023-53138


In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: caif: Fix use-after-free in cfusbl_device_notify() syzbot reported use-after-free in cfusbl_device_notify() [1]. This causes a stack trace like below: BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in cfusbl_device_notify+0x7c9/0x870 net/caif/caif_usb.c:138 Read of size 8 at addr ffff88807ac4e6f0 by task kworker/u4:6/1214 CPU: 0 PID: 1214 Comm: kworker/u4:6 Not tainted 5.19.0-rc3-syzkaller-00146-g92f20ff72066 #0 Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 01/01/2011 Workqueue: netns cleanup_net Call Trace: <TASK> __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:88 [inline] dump_stack_lvl+0xcd/0x134 lib/dump_stack.c:106 print_address_description.constprop.0.cold+0xeb/0x467 mm/kasan/report.c:313 print_report mm/kasan/report.c:429 [inline] kasan_report.cold+0xf4/0x1c6 mm/kasan/report.c:491 cfusbl_device_notify+0x7c9/0x870 net/caif/caif_usb.c:138 notifier_call_chain+0xb5/0x200 kernel/notifier.c:87 call_netdevice_notifiers_info+0xb5/0x130 net/core/dev.c:1945 call_netdevice_notifiers_extack net/core/dev.c:1983 [inline] call_netdevice_notifiers net/core/dev.c:1997 [inline] netdev_wait_allrefs_any net/core/dev.c:10227 [inline] netdev_run_todo+0xbc0/0x10f0 net/core/dev.c:10341 default_device_exit_batch+0x44e/0x590 net/core/dev.c:11334 ops_exit_list+0x125/0x170 net/core/net_namespace.c:167 cleanup_net+0x4ea/0xb00 net/core/net_namespace.c:594 process_one_work+0x996/0x1610 kernel/workqueue.c:2289 worker_thread+0x665/0x1080 kernel/workqueue.c:2436 kthread+0x2e9/0x3a0 kernel/kthread.c:376 ret_from_fork+0x1f/0x30 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:302 </TASK> When unregistering a net device, unregister_netdevice_many_notify() sets the device's reg_state to NETREG_UNREGISTERING, calls notifiers with NETDEV_UNREGISTER, and adds the device to the todo list. Later on, devices in the todo list are processed by netdev_run_todo(). netdev_run_todo() waits devices' reference count become 1 while rebdoadcasting NETDEV_UNREGISTER notification. When cfusbl_device_notify() is called with NETDEV_UNREGISTER multiple times, the parent device might be freed. This could cause UAF. Processing NETDEV_UNREGISTER multiple times also causes inbalance of reference count for the module. This patch fixes the issue by accepting only first NETDEV_UNREGISTER notification.


Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8, requiring local system access to exploit with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from linux organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

Reported in 2025, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.


Published

2025-05-02T16:15:32.720

Last Modified

2026-08-04T10:18:56.010

Status

Modified

Source

416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 7.8 (HIGH)

Weaknesses
  • Type: Primary
    CWE-416

Affected Vendors & Products
Type Vendor Product Version/Range Vulnerable?
Operating System linux linux_kernel < 4.14.310 Yes
Operating System linux linux_kernel < 4.19.278 Yes
Operating System linux linux_kernel < 5.4.237 Yes
Operating System linux linux_kernel < 5.10.175 Yes
Operating System linux linux_kernel < 5.15.103 Yes
Operating System linux linux_kernel < 6.1.20 Yes
Operating System linux linux_kernel < 6.2.7 Yes
Operating System linux linux_kernel 6.3 Yes

References

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For linux's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.