Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2023-52491
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 · uneditedIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: media: mtk-jpeg: Fix use after free bug due to error path handling in mtk_jpeg_dec_device_run In mtk_jpeg_probe, &jpeg->job_timeout_work is bound with mtk_jpeg_job_timeout_work. In mtk_jpeg_dec_device_run, if error happens in mtk_jpeg_set_dec_dst, it will finally start the worker while mark the job as finished by invoking v4l2_m2m_job_finish. There are two methods to trigger the bug. If we remove the module, it which will call mtk_jpeg_remove to make cleanup. The possible sequence is as follows, which will cause a use-after-free bug. CPU0 CPU1 mtk_jpeg_dec_... | start worker | |mtk_jpeg_job_timeout_work mtk_jpeg_remove | v4l2_m2m_release | kfree(m2m_dev); | | | v4l2_m2m_get_curr_priv | m2m_dev->curr_ctx //use If we close the file descriptor, which will call mtk_jpeg_release, it will have a similar sequence. Fix this bug by starting timeout worker only if started jpegdec worker successfully. Then v4l2_m2m_job_finish will only be called in either mtk_jpeg_job_timeout_work or mtk_jpeg_dec_device_run.
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 analysisMemory 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
>= 4.12, < 5.10.210>= 5.11, < 5.15.149>= 5.16, < 6.1.76>= 6.2, < 6.6.15>= 6.7, < 6.7.3CVSS 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 · scoped5.10.2105.15.1496.1.76
5.10.210, 5.15.149, 6.1.76, or 6.6.15 (whichever matches the active kernel branch)
- Upgrade Linux kernel to version 5.10.210 or later if using the 5.10.x kernel tree
- Upgrade Linux kernel to version 5.15.149 or later if using the 5.15.x kernel tree
- Upgrade Linux kernel to version 6.1.76 or later if using the 6.1.x kernel tree
- Upgrade Linux kernel to version 6.6.15 or later if using the 6.2+ kernel tree
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-52491 — 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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-52491 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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