Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2023-52742

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-21

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.14.306 / 4.19.273 or later.

See remediation →

57/100

Remediation priority · Elevated

Zero-click Patch available

Official description

NVD · unedited

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: USB: Fix wrong-direction WARNING in plusb.c The syzbot fuzzer detected a bug in the plusb network driver: A zero-length control-OUT transfer was treated as a read instead of a write. In modern kernels this error provokes a WARNING: usb 1-1: BOGUS control dir, pipe 80000280 doesn't match bRequestType c0 WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 4645 at drivers/usb/core/urb.c:411 usb_submit_urb+0x14a7/0x1880 drivers/usb/core/urb.c:411 Modules linked in: CPU: 1 PID: 4645 Comm: dhcpcd Not tainted 6.2.0-rc6-syzkaller-00050-g9f266ccaa2f5 #0 Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 01/12/2023 RIP: 0010:usb_submit_urb+0x14a7/0x1880 drivers/usb/core/urb.c:411 ... Call Trace: <TASK> usb_start_wait_urb+0x101/0x4b0 drivers/usb/core/message.c:58 usb_internal_control_msg drivers/usb/core/message.c:102 [inline] usb_control_msg+0x320/0x4a0 drivers/usb/core/message.c:153 __usbnet_read_cmd+0xb9/0x390 drivers/net/usb/usbnet.c:2010 usbnet_read_cmd+0x96/0xf0 drivers/net/usb/usbnet.c:2068 pl_vendor_req drivers/net/usb/plusb.c:60 [inline] pl_set_QuickLink_features drivers/net/usb/plusb.c:75 [inline] pl_reset+0x2f/0xf0 drivers/net/usb/plusb.c:85 usbnet_open+0xcc/0x5d0 drivers/net/usb/usbnet.c:889 __dev_open+0x297/0x4d0 net/core/dev.c:1417 __dev_change_flags+0x587/0x750 net/core/dev.c:8530 dev_change_flags+0x97/0x170 net/core/dev.c:8602 devinet_ioctl+0x15a2/0x1d70 net/ipv4/devinet.c:1147 inet_ioctl+0x33f/0x380 net/ipv4/af_inet.c:979 sock_do_ioctl+0xcc/0x230 net/socket.c:1169 sock_ioctl+0x1f8/0x680 net/socket.c:1286 vfs_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:51 [inline] __do_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:870 [inline] __se_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:856 [inline] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x197/0x210 fs/ioctl.c:856 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:50 [inline] do_syscall_64+0x39/0xb0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:80 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd The fix is to call usbnet_write_cmd() instead of usbnet_read_cmd() and remove the USB_DIR_IN flag.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Linux KernelOperating system

Affected:>= 2.6.14, < 4.14.306>= 4.15, < 4.19.273>= 4.20, < 5.4.232>= 5.5, < 5.10.168>= 5.11, < 5.15.94>= 5.16, < 6.1.12= 6.2

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

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

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.14.306 / 4.19.273 / 5.4.232 or later

Fixed in 4.14.3064.19.2735.4.232

Vendor patch git.kernel.org →

Recommended fix High confidence

4.14.306 (or 4.19.273, 5.4.232, 5.10.168 depending on current branch - the first fixed version in each affected branch)

Upgrade the Linux kernel to a version that includes the fix: 4.14.306, 4.19.273, 5.4.232, or 5.10.168 (depending on which branch you're currently running)
After kernel upgrade, reboot the system to load the fixed kernel
Verify the fix is applied by checking that the plusb driver no longer produces the BOGUS control dir WARNING

Caveat Kernel upgrades may require matching user-space tools and could introduce compatibility issues with older drivers or modules; ensure all dependent modules are compatible with the target kernel version

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 $1,600. Get the upgrade done

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-52742 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2023-52742?

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

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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
No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 4.14.306 / 4.19.273 or later

Severity 5.5 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.3%

Affects: Linux Kernel

Remediation

Need this fixed?

Get a fix

Estimated effortfrom ~9 hrs

ComplexityModerate

Typical engagementfrom $1,600

What a fix involves

We scope it with you and confirm a fixed quote
A specialist builds a reviewed fix
You deploy it to staging first
Optional re-test once it’s live

We specialise in CVE remediation. Send your environment and we’ll scope CVE-2023-52742 and return a fixed quote.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Scan for this in your stack

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

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Remediation

References