Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2023-52468

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.6.14 / 6.7.2 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
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: class: fix use-after-free in class_register() The lock_class_key is still registered and can be found in lock_keys_hash hlist after subsys_private is freed in error handler path.A task who iterate over the lock_keys_hash later may cause use-after-free.So fix that up and unregister the lock_class_key before kfree(cp). On our platform, a driver fails to kset_register because of creating duplicate filename '/class/xxx'.With Kasan enabled, it prints a invalid-access bug report. KASAN bug report: BUG: KASAN: invalid-access in lockdep_register_key+0x19c/0x1bc Write of size 8 at addr 15ffff808b8c0368 by task modprobe/252 Pointer tag: [15], memory tag: [fe] CPU: 7 PID: 252 Comm: modprobe Tainted: G W 6.6.0-mainline-maybe-dirty #1 Call trace: dump_backtrace+0x1b0/0x1e4 show_stack+0x2c/0x40 dump_stack_lvl+0xac/0xe0 print_report+0x18c/0x4d8 kasan_report+0xe8/0x148 __hwasan_store8_noabort+0x88/0x98 lockdep_register_key+0x19c/0x1bc class_register+0x94/0x1ec init_module+0xbc/0xf48 [rfkill] do_one_initcall+0x17c/0x72c do_init_module+0x19c/0x3f8 ... Memory state around the buggy address: ffffff808b8c0100: 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a ffffff808b8c0200: 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe >ffffff808b8c0300: fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe ^ ffffff808b8c0400: 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 As CONFIG_KASAN_GENERIC is not set, Kasan reports invalid-access not use-after-free here.In this case, modprobe is manipulating the corrupted lock_keys_hash hlish where lock_class_key is already freed before. It's worth noting that this only can happen if lockdep is enabled, which is not true for normal system.

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-416

Memory is used after it has been freed, so its contents — now potentially attacker-controlled — drive the program's behaviour. With careful heap grooming this becomes code execution. The fix requires disciplined ownership of memory and often a targeted rework of the object lifecycle.

General guidance for the use after free 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:>= 6.4.0, < 6.6.14>= 6.7.0, < 6.7.2

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 6.6.14 / 6.7.2 or later
Fixed in 6.6.146.7.2
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 6.6.14 or later, or 6.7.2 or later

  1. Update the Linux kernel to version 6.6.14 or later for the 6.6.x stable branch
  2. Alternatively, update to version 6.7.2 or later for the 6.7.x stable branch
  3. Reboot the system after kernel update to load the fixed kernel
  4. Verify the running kernel version with 'uname -r' to confirm the fix is active
Caveat Kernel upgrades may introduce compatibility issues with older drivers or modules; ensure all kernel modules are compatible with the new version before rebooting

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
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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-2023-52468 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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