Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2023-1078

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-03-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.19.273 / 5.4.232 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A flaw was found in the Linux Kernel in RDS (Reliable Datagram Sockets) protocol. The rds_rm_zerocopy_callback() uses list_entry() on the head of a list causing a type confusion. Local user can trigger this with rds_message_put(). Type confusion leads to `struct rds_msg_zcopy_info *info` actually points to something else that is potentially controlled by local user. It is known how to trigger this, which causes an out of bounds access, and a lock corruption.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-787

The program writes past the bounds of a buffer, overwriting adjacent memory an attacker can turn to their advantage. Crafted input can overwrite control data and redirect execution. Remediation is validating every index and length before a write, plus modern memory-safety mitigations.

General guidance for the out-of-bounds write class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 4.17, < 4.19.273>= 4.20, < 5.4.232>= 5.5, < 5.10.168>= 5.11, < 5.15.94>= 5.16, < 6.1.12

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.19.273 / 5.4.232 / 5.10.168 or later
Fixed in 4.19.2735.4.2325.10.168
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

5.15.94 (or the next stable release in your respective kernel branch: 4.19.273, 5.4.232, 5.10.168, or 5.15.94 depending on your current branch)

  1. 1. Identify the currently running Linux kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. 2. Determine which affected version range your kernel falls into from the CVEs affected products list
  3. 3. For kernels in the >= 4.17, < 4.19.273 range: upgrade to 4.19.273 or later
  4. 4. For kernels in the >= 4.20, < 5.4.232 range: upgrade to 5.4.232 or later
  5. 5. For kernels in the >= 5.5, < 5.10.168 range: upgrade to 5.10.168 or later
  6. 6. For kernels in the >= 5.11, < 5.15.94 range: upgrade to 5.15.94 or later
  7. 7. Apply the kernel upgrade via your distribution's package manager (e.g., `apt-get update && apt-get upgrade` for Debian/Ubuntu, `yum update` for RHEL/CentOS)
  8. 8. Reboot the system to load the patched kernel
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require system reboot and could introduce compatibility issues with proprietary kernel modules or specific hardware drivers; ensure critical applications are tested on a staging system first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $3,200. Get the upgrade done

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-1078 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-1078 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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